Won't it be fun
by AimTarget
Summary: Dana decides that she wants to be a hunter, since she's been told that it's the coolest job ever. This is her story. Gon x OC
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is Aim.

I've put a lot of thought into this and I'd appreciate all your feedback, positive or negative. And as for my main character, you can make her any age and customize her looks yourself. With lots of love to all my readers, I start with chapter 1.

* * *

"Be afraid of me," I said, "be very afraid of me." I pointed my gun at the captain of the ship, a silly looking fellow with a beard and a hat. He looked at me like it was normal for people to randomly point guns in his face.

"Get that thing out of my face." He pushed my hand away "And clean up this mess!"

"But I really will shoot you!" I aimed for the centre of his chest.

"I'm going down to my cabin. When I come back, all of this better be gone." He turned around and left. By 'this' he meant the mess that I had made shooting paint balls at the ship's crew. It was their fault. They made fun of me, saying that there is no way a little girl like me would be a hunter. I got angry and fired a whole lot of paintballs at them. They looked like they were ready to kill me and do some worse things I can't really say out in the open. Like I'd let them. I have real bullets too, ya know.

I was still scrubbing the deck when the ship reached Whale Island. Maybe I could just sneak off and hide somewhere within the ship. The captain would never be able to find me. But that wouldn't be so as the crew members were all watching me like hawks. Anyway, it was then that a boy clad in green boarded the ship. He looked like he was around ten or twelve. That would make him the youngest on board the ship.  
I don't know what I was expecting, but I waved at him anyway and to my utter joy, he waved back. He came over to me where I was.

"Hi!" I said, "I'm Dana!"

"I'm Gon!" He said. After giving me a look over, he asked, "Do you work here?"

"No. I'm here to take the hunter's exam. I just made a mess of things and now I have to clean up." I was leaning on the mop over a stain of blue paint. And then, to my complete amazement, he offered to help clean up. Quite embarrassed, I told him there was no need for that.

We started chatting when one of the crew members tripped and fell, dropping a crate of apples. He was that thin, lanky dude who wouldn't look me in the eye. He was the only one of that damn crew who didn't lear at me. But, I didn't spare him though. He was kind of a sitting duck. I had to shoot him. But still, I didn't like it when the other man kicked him and laughed at him.

I felt my eyebrows rise when Gon went to help the sailor, whose name was, I think Katsu- something. He picked up one of the apples he'd missed. I smirked. I'll help him in my own way. I reached for my gun and shot that laughing moron who kicked that poor man, right between the eyes. His face was soon covered in green paint.

"Damn you! You *# $ *#*! I'm going to get you - *%$#**# !"

I laughed in response.

"Wow!" Gon looked impressed, "You shot him right in the face! You must have good aim!"

The captain emerged from the cabin holding a liquor bottle in his hand. He looked totally wasted. I couldn't blame him. The man had to put up with me.

"What's goin' on here?"

"Captain! She shot me! The *# $ *#*!"

I laughed even harder.

The Captain's face turned red, "You imbecile! Didn't I ask you to behave yourself?!"

"Not in so many words." I was now facing him.

"If you don't start treating my crew with a little respect, I'll kick you off the ship!"

"I'll cover you in paint before that. Then, I'll shoot you with a real bullet!"

The captain started ranting about how all I've done was give him trouble and some other stuff when Gon stopped him. "Captain! A storm is coming!"

"Huh?"

"The seagulls are saying so."

I watched him climb the mast and go up into the crow's nest. That's when I noticed the seagulls flying around and making a great deal of noise. "It's going to be huge!" He added. I was genuinely impressed. He can tell all that just from watching a few birds?

A little while later...

Great. As if being stuck on a ship wasn't bad enough, now there was a storm.

"Is all this your stuff?" Gon was looking at my duffel bag and folded up tripod stand.

"Yup. I'm a shooter, so I carry my guns with me."

"That's great! Can you teach me how to shoot?"

"Sure. And you can teach me how to fish?" I gestured to his fishing rod.

While we were having this conversation, the other exam applicants and the ship's crew were running around, trying to keep their lunches firm in their stomachs. Some of them failed though. The ship was rocking around and I do admit that it was a little difficult to stand up.

"I wish this storm would end." Gon said.

"Really? I think it would be funny if we shipwrecked somewhere."

"I hope that doesn't happen." He paused for a moment, "I know! Let's help everyone."

"Help? Why?"

"Because they need it." He said it like it was the most obvious reason to help anyone.

"But all they've done is be mean to me."

"Yes, but we don't have to be mean back. We can help them."

"Fine." I followed him, being more intrigued than ever. This was the first time I've helped anyone out of good will. Well-

We went to the kitchen and I watched Gon ransack the cabinets looking for healing herbs. When he'd found what he wanted to find, we went back and I watched in mild amusement as he tried to help the fallen.

When the sea had finally calmed, I went to check up on my equipment. Looking around, I saw that aside from Gon and I, there were two other people who looked okay. One was the blonde who was in a hammock, reading a book. The other was this bespectacled old man, eating an apple.

"You four, come with me." I looked around to see the captain. Us? Why

The four of us and that thin sailor followed him to the bridge where he started smoking a pipe. He asked us to introduce ourselves.

"I'm Gon!" Liking the enthusiasm.

"Dana." The captain and I had already got a very personal relationship. I swear, I saw his eyes twitch when I said my name.

"I'm Kurapika." Said the blonde.

"The name's Leorio." That was the old man.

The captain then asked us all why we wanted to be hunters. This provoked old man Leorio and he took a big step forward, demanding that the captain not boss us around.

"Just answer the question." The captain seemed unamused.

"My dad's a hunter," Gon explained, "So, I just want to know why he wanted to become one so badly."

I spoke up, "Well, I just heard that being a hunter is the coolest job ever. So I want to become one." I grinned widely at the captain, "Don't you think I'll be a great hunter?" The man sighed.

"Oh," Gon answered "Definitely." I tried to suppress a giggle.

"Hey, you two!" Leorio said, "You're not supposed to answer his questions!"

"Why not?" Gon asked.

I saw what Leorio was trying to say. But still, I said, "Yeah, tell us, why not?"

"You don't get it, do you?" He poked Gon's forehead, "I don't want to tell him why I'm here."

"Why not?" I said, "Do you have some deep dark secret that you can't tell anyone?" He looked super pissed, so I added, "Aww..."

"That would be it." Kurapika spoke, "I don't wish to reveal my secrets to you all. It would be shameful to rely on deceit, so I simply refuse to answer the question."

Oh, geez... Have I met another one of those 'martyr's - dying for a cause?

"I see," the captain drew deep on his pipe, "Katsuo, tell the examination board that there are two more drop outs."

"What d'you mean?" Leorio asked and the captain explained to us that the hunter exam had already begun and how he had been testing us.

"So," I smirked, "Why do you guys want to be hunters?"

Leorio looked like he was ready to speak, but Kurapika gave his own speach first. He told us about how he was after the Phantom Troupe who killed his clan. Well, all the very best. Like he could accomplish THAT on his own. But it would be funny if he did...

Leorio got pissed off since Kurapika was not paying any attention or respect to him which, to me, he was doing on purpose. Leorio did say that he was after money. Now, I like him. No false morals. No hipocrisy.

Things would have been great had the two morons not decided to kill each other shortly after. What fools.

"Come back here!" The captain called as the two idiots left for the deck. I looked at the captain. He looked tired and ten years older. I bet he was just thirsting for another bottle of that whiskey.

"Let them go." Gon said.

"Yeah. It'll be funny if they killed each other." I let out a short laugh. "I kind of want Leorio to win this one."

"They're not going to kill each other." Gon replied, "They're going to learn what makes each other angry and they're going to settle itthemselves. That's what Mito-san told me."

"Mito-san, who?"

"My aunt Mito-san."

Well, Mito-san was deffinitely spoiling this child. Is she the reason that he is this naive?

"That maybe so," The captain said, "But I don't want any more messy situations on my ship. You (to me), make sure they don't actually end up killing each other."

"What? Why me?"

"Because I say so!"

Well, a few minutes later found me standing referree to the most idiotic match in the century.

"So, are you ready to take back what you said earlier?" (Something about the Kurta bloodline being filthy.)

"Heh, not a chance."

"Then I have no choise. I will end your life now."

"I'll be the one killing you."

"If you both want to die so badly, I'll just shoot you both!"

"Be silent!" Kurapika looked in my direction. The angry wind was rustling their hair and their clothes. The sky was stormy. The sea was stormy. There was lightning - now, would'nt it be funny if one of them got struck by lightning? Will the other one win by default?

Just then, I noticed - coming from a distance- Well, I'll be damned. It's a twister.

We were just pushing our way from one shitstorm to another. I don't know exactly what happened, but I saw that boy - whatshisname -

Katsuo fly off into the sea. The duel continued on, despite this fact. Poor boy.

And then, Gon jumped after him.

"Gon!" I cried out.

Leorio and Kurapika suddenly snapped out of their war haze and jumped to catch the boy's legs. They managed to pull the two of them out. Quite miraculously, the storm disappeared.

"Gon!" I yelled at him, "You fool! Did you realize the danger you were in?! If anything would have happened to you, I would've -" I paused. I would've what? I let out a breath and sighed. Looks like he got to me. The idiot. That precious idiot. I smiled genuinely.

Leorio and Kurapika continued on the lecture where I had left off. The boy had gotten to them too. They easily made up after that.

When the captain joined us, I went up to him and said, "Captain? I'll say this once and only once - I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. I was just trying to have fun. For what it's worth, I like you."

"Haha. Well, I like you too," he then looked at the others, "You guys too. I'll take full responsibility for taking you to the port closest to the exam site."

"Really?! And the test?"

"Yes. It's my decision to make and all of you pass."

"Hear that? We pass! Group hug!"

"What?! No!" Leorio tried to push me away. Kurapika obliged, albeit awkwardly. Gon joined in too. Soon, the four of us were tangled in a strange group hug.

"That's one hurdle down. But we gotta stick together, right? Let's become a team."

"Definitely!" Gon said.

"Count me in!" Leorio said.

"Well, it does have it's own advantages. I'll join you as well." Kurapika was in too.

Heh. What I figured was that single handedly, we might fail at everything. But if we act as a team, our odds of passing the hunter exam increases significantly. Well then. Let's see what's up next.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! This is Aim,

I'm rewriting this chapter. I've been taking writing advice from a friend. She asked me to specify on details and stuff, since that's what she likes to read. When I told her my idea, she told me to introduce it early on, so that it won't seem sudden and out of place later. Hopefully, this is good. Anyway, give me your opinion.

* * *

So, now we arrived at Dolle Harbor.

"Whoa, so like all the people here want to be hunters too?"

"Well, that would be why they're here." Kurapika said.

I looked around solemnly. "Well, with this crowd... they're somehow different."

Dolle Harbor was just like any other harbor, ya know, with ships and stuff. I was let down to see not even a single female in that area. Won't it be funny if Kurapika turned out to be a dame? He's so cute, he could pass of as one anyway. He's more feminine than me. Heh. I should poke him about that later, after I've earned his trust. That would be funny.

"Hey look! A map." I pointed out.

There it was. One of those 'you're now here' maps. Big on boards and stuff. I squinted hard at it.

"We're here." Kurapika touched the point on the map with his index finger.

"I see. So, where should we go?" Zaban City, Zaban City, Zaban City... no use, my vision has gone blurry. No need for alarm, though. It becomes normal again after a while.

"Here." Kurapika pointed that out as well.

While the three of us were deciding on the best way to commute to the hunter exam site, Gon reached us. "Hey, guys, look. We should go that way to that cedar tree on top of that hill."

"How'd'ya now that?"

"The Captain said so."

"Oh, okay. Let's go." I said, pulling Leorio along again.

"Wait! We can't just go that way."

"Why not? Gon says it's that way."

"Because then we'll be going in the opposite direction." Kurapika's voice sounded incredibly feminine now that I can't see him all that well, "Did you mishear it, perhaps?"

"No. He said it clearly." Gon pointed at the map.

I squinted as hard as I could again at the map. I only ended up torturing myself. I let out a tired breath. "Won't it be easy if they had a huge sign somewhere saying 'Hunter Exam'? Won't that be funny?"

"I suppose, but this is just another part of the test. To find the exam site with limited resources."

"Dana," Gon said, "Let's go to the tree."

"Sure." I grabbed Leorio's hand again. He yanked his arm free.

"The bus to Zaban City is about to leave!"

"I know. Come with me."

"But going that way defies all logic!"

"When I ask you to do something, you do it!"

"He doesn't have to come if he doesn't want to." Gon said, "Let's go."

"Fine! I don't need you!" I looked at him. He was just one big blue jellybean. And boy, was Kurapika cute. He was also a jellybean, but smaller. Gon was the cutest of all three beans. He was the smallest and green. I never liked green. Until now.

I followed the small green jellybean and Kurapika followed us. It's strange, you know, how the footsteps clash with the jelly images. I was tempted to give Gon a hug. He wouldn't mind, but it'd be weird. For me, that is. Maybe I should give Kurapika a hug. Won't that be funny?

We were just half a mile off when Leorio came back. Now the four of us were a team again.

Now, when eyesight fails, hearing becomes stronger. Even though, I tripped on rocks and tree roots a lot, there was something I was sure of. We were being followed. However, the enemy was keeping their distance. So then, they weren't interested in attacking us...

Woah! One particular tree root had me land on my face. "Ugh!" I stood up, having to collect my bag and tripod stand from the ground.

"Dana?" Gon asked, "Do you want to hold my hand?"

"What? Why?"

"You've been tripping a lot. If you're sick, I can help you."

"Sure, I guess." I held hands with the boy and we continued along our way.

Holding hands with Gon felt a little different. What's with him? Why's he getting to me like this? Why's he so special? He led me by the hand so that I didn't trip on anything anymore.

We then passed through a town where, for some strange reason, everyone was indoors.

"Wow, this is like some ghost town." Leorio said.

"Nah, everyone's just inside." I said.

"What?"

"Can't you hear it?" Gon asked.

"Hear what?"

Just then, a gate opened, and a platform rolled in our direction. White jellybeans with white faces were everywhere and one was sitting.

"Wh-what the hell is this?" Leorio asked.

"Oh, a performance?" I wondered, "This is a bad time, though."

The old lady-bean spoke, "Exciting two-choice quiz!" Que music. I squinted hard at her. What?

"Quiz?!" I asked, "You mean like a game show?!" I got really pumped up.

"Yes. A single question quiz." She explained the conditions. This is the lady's test. If we pass, we can go to the tree. We have five seconds to give the answer. If we give the wrong answer, we'll be disqualified and we'll have to give up.

"Well, we happen to be in luck." Leorio said, "Because I happen to be a quiz expert."

"I love game shows. But there's only one question." Everything was fading into grey. I'm still not worried. I'll be back to normal. This happens all the time. I squeezed Gon's hand a little. He squeezed back and I felt... better. Anyway, the lady said that any answers other than the option will be disqualified. So the four of us have one question to answer.

"Wait, what if one of them get's the answer wrong? Will I be disqualified too?" Leorio asked.

"What scares me is the opposite happening." By now I was almost convinced that Kurapika was a girl. What if he really was one? With boobs and everything? Won't that be funny?

"But this is good. This way, only one of us has to know the answer. I'm not really good at quizzes."

"No worries!" I assured him, "I've got you covered. We've all gotcha covered, right?"

Then, our tail steps up. This smug -sounding fellow. He offered to answer the question first, like all high and mighty. Frankly, I felt a little tensed having him come out in the open.

"Who are you?" Leorio asked.

"Dontcha know? He's my stalker."

"What?!"

"He followed us all the way from the port." Gon answered.

"Don't flatter yourself kid." he said, "Like anybody would want to stalk you. I just happened to overhear your conversation. (This last part, I think was for Gon)"

"So, what will it be?" The lady asked.

"Right, Gramps. I don't want you to go first."

"Gramps?" The fellow seemed a little pissed.

"You called me kid, right? You must be pretty old."

"Hmm! But I guess, I could look at you as a woman. You're not that bad looking. You have a nice athletic frame and a nice bust too. Now that I look at you again, you are pretty cute."

"Hey that's enough!" Leorio said, "You have some nerve talking that way about my friend!"

"It's fine. I've heard worse. Being pretty sure is tough." All this talk was helping me calm my nerves. Gon is telepathic; he squeezed my hand again.

The man got to go first, despite my protests. God, how I loathed him. The woman asked him who he'd save from the villains. His mother or his lover. The man pressed some kind of buzzer that gave me a heart attack and gave the answer. He'd save his mom, of course. He could pass.

"Really, 'cause if it were my mom, I'd leave her to die. Not that my mom'd get herself in such a situation."

"It's not about giving the right answer, it's about pleasing the old lady. Honestly, if I had a girlfriend that looks like you, I'd definitely save her. Heh, after all, there are somethings you just can't get from your mother." The last part he said in a strange, creepy way.

"Cut it out, dude."

"You're the one who didn't want to be seen as a kid, right? Well, I'll catch you later and then we can talk all day."

The man left. Leorio was so pissed off that he tried to leave to find another route. He failed, though. The lady wouldn't let us leave. God am I stuck here!

"What the hell kind of quiz is this?!"

"Well, Leorio has a point. I'd give a different answer, old lady. I'd let my mother die. She's that much of a pain!"

"That's it!" Kurapika said, "That's-" At this point, the lady silenced us. She then gave us our question. Save our son or our daughter.

I thought hard. I thought about being my own mother. How I'd hate having to pick between myself and my brother Din. Or between Dua and Dani. Or between Dina and Du! God, I'd hate that! They're all my siblings! Damn. I can't even pick one among the seven of us. (The last one is in my dad's girlfriend's womb) How are we supposed to figure it out?

The lady started counting down from five. As she reached one, Leorio jumped at her. But, jut in time, Kurapika stopped him from hitting her.

"Don't get in my way! I won't stop till I've taught that old hag a lesson!"

"Calm down, Leorio! We gave the right answer." Which, he explained to us was silence. Since we couldn't pick between the two, we'd have to stay silent.

"So then, the other guy was wrong! He went the wrong way! Serves him right."

"Yes," The lady opened a huge double door, "The right way is this way." Into a deep dark tunnel. Leorio did a noble thing and apologized to the lady. She pardoned him.

Gon let out a deep sigh and sat on the ground. At some point, we'd stopped holding hands. "I still can't think of an answer."

"Don't need one!" I said.

"Why not?"

"The quiz is over." Kurapika stated.

"I know that. But what if someday, I ran into such a situation? If I'd only be able to save one person. Then what should I do? It wouldn't be right to save just one of them, right?"

I let out a short laugh, "You're in luck. The real world isn't bound by strict rules. There are always loopholes. You'll figure out the answer in time!"

We stepped into the black tunnel. Apparently, there was a couple there and they were navigators. They'll judge us to see whether or not we will be able to attend the exam.

The tunnel was straight and dark, so I had no problem, but when we got out, It was pitch black. No. I had gone blind. Damn. It'll go away in a while, but for now, it was pretty troublesome. Damn! I was starting to feel really strange all together. I just stood there, with my legs feeling as heavy as stone. Is this the end of my journey? I can't possibly be a hunter like this.

When I was young, I was subject to a traumatic incident where my eyes were injured. No harm came of it though. No one died or anything. But, since then, whenever I was excited or scared, my vision would go blurry and it'd be difficult to see. No, I'm not trying to sell a sob story. Don't pity me!

"Are you okay?" Gon's voice asked.

"Yeah, I just..." I felt my eyes moisten. God! Stop being such a wuss. "I have a headache. You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you."

Gon approached me, "If you're sick, I can carry you."

"All the way? Thanks, but I don't want to be a burden."

"No, it's fine. We're a team, remember? You said so yourself."

"Hey," Leorio said, "If it'll help you, I'll carry your stuff."

"Oh, geez, guys. I'm gonna take real advantage of this situation." I said as I climbed onto Gon's back.

We kept going for a really long time. Leorio just kept complaining about it. In the end, we did make it to the wood cottage at the base of the cedar tree. At this point, I got off from Gon's back, which was really comfy, since it was the first time anybody has ever carried me on their back. We knocked on the door. When we got no response, we went in. The others were shocked by what they saw.

"It's a magical beast!" Leorio said.

"Magical beast?"

"That's the Kiriko. It's a transforming magical beast. It can take human form. It's an incredibly intelligent creature." Kurapika said.

"It's got a woman!" Gon said.

"The guy on the floor needs medical attention!" Leorio said.

I got an almost clear idea of what was going on. "Is there only one? Are there more of them?"

I heard a window breaking. The beast must have escaped through there. Gon and Kurapika followed.

"Please, save my wife." The man on the floor said.

"Leorio! We'll leave the injured man to you. Dana! Stand guard!"

"Right!" I said

"Leave it to us." Leorio said. The two of us were then left alone to take care of the man.

"My wife! Is she going to be okay?"

"Who knows? You'll be safe, though. You won't find a better marksman than me." I took out my machine gun and loaded it. I then aimed at Leorio, not that I could see anything, anyway.

"Hey, don't point that thing at me! Your wife is going to be fine. Gon and Kurapika have gone after him." I smiled a little as I sat in a corner. I could shoot by sound, since this happens a lot. But why was it happening now? I was fine even on the ship. So what's bothering me now?

The slightest sound, I heard the floorboard creak, but that was just Leorio. He was still reassuring the man how great Gon and Kurapika were, like he'd known them all his life. I heard another floor board creak. Leorio again. I heard the third floorboard creak and this time, it was a lot louder. Without wasting even a fraction of a second, I shot several times.

"No!" The injured man screamed. And quite funny, he made an attempt to rise and help the beast that I was sure I had shot.

"Relax," I said, "Those are just blanks. Looks almost like a real bullet, but all smoke. Now tell me, why exactly are you trying to protect the monster that kidnapped your wife?" The man didn't say anything. He just laughed. The test was over.

Soon the four of us were reunited outside the cottage.

"How long has it been, since someone has been able to tell us apart?" One of the two Kiriko asked.

"See," Gon explained, "The one that I hit was the husband." Right. Which one was that? They sounded alike.

Apparently the Kiriko were navigators and they were testing to see if we were worthy of taking the exam.

Kurapika passed, since he was able to tell that the lady and the man weren't husband and wife using vague hints.

Leorio passed since he was able to dress the man's wounds and reassure him that his wife was safe. He was very kind.

I passed due to my quick reflex and the fact that I was thoughtful enough not to hurt anyone. Apparantly, the Kiriko was used to being hunted and knew about guns a lot and he could tell that I wasn't loading real bullets. I flushed. Normal people can't tell the difference.

Gon passed because of his super physical ability and observational skills. No shit, he could tell them apart. He said their voices were different, but they sounded the same to me. And I pride on my sharp hearing. I guess he just put me in my place.

The Kiriko were beasts that could fly and I held on to the legs of one of them as they carried us. God, that was strange but fun.

"Isn't it great that we passed?" Gon asked.

"It's too early to celebrate. We've just earned the right to enter the hunters exam."

"I know," I said, "Don't spoil the fun!" I said.

"That's right," Leorio said, "Stop being such a smart-ass!"

"Honestly, you people should think more."

"That's true." It was luck that I passed this test as it is. I can only hope I'll be back to normal soon. I wonder what the next phase of the exam can be. Well, won't it be fun?

* * *

Note: Yay! Dana and Gon just became a lot closer! And, Dana's eyes were fine in the beginning, that's why Gon wasn't able to tell that she lost her vision later. He just assumed she was sick, or something.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, it's Aim!

I've got some helpful reviews. Thanks a lot, my wonderful readers. This chapter, I'm not sure how it goes. I certainly hope it turned out good.

* * *

So now, we were in Zaban City. The city was noisy, ya know- the kind that has a lot of tourists and stuff. I'd expect so, since it was the place for the hunter exam. The man - Kiriko was leading and I followed close behind with Leorio and Kurapika. Walking without eyes is really difficult, but I think I manage to pull it off okay. Since this happens a lot, I train my ears once in a while.

"In other words," the navigator concluded the speech he was giving about his life and his goals as navigator and stuff, "It would be nearly impossible to find the exam site without the navigator's help."

"This place sure is shady." Leorio said.

"Every prosperous city has a dark side." Kurapika added. He then came to a halt all of a sudden and I bumped into his back. "Dana," he said, "please watch where your going."

"S-sorry!" I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

Gon, who was staying close with me said, "This place is so exciting. I wish I had more time to explore."

"Yeah! Won't it be fun."

After a little while walking, the navigator stopped. "I believe, we're here."

I followed him. "This place?" I asked even though I couldn't see anything.

"You mean this oridinary restaurant?" Leorio asked. An ordinary restaurant? Now, wasn't that funny?

"I do actually. No one would expect the hunter exam to be here, now would they?"

"Heh!" That was pretty clever. Though it would make no difference to me. I can't see a damn thing.

Going inside, the navigator asked for the steak combo for four. The chef let us into the back room. I see. So that was some kind of password. As I walked, I was held by the elbow by Kurapika who helped me avoid walking into what I thought was a counter. Does he know? Does it matter?

Once we were inside the room, the navigator said, "Wait here."

"Here? Where is everybody else?" Leorio enquired.

"I can't wait for the steak combo." Gon said.

"Gon," Kurapika said, "That was the password to get us into this room."

"Oh, so we don't get to eat?"

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Not really."

"One in ten thousand," the navigator said, "is the number of applicants who make it this far. You guys have made it here. All the very best."

"Thanks!" Gon said.

"I'll be happy to serve as your navigator next year as well."

"You won't see us next year!" I said as I heard the door close. Then, the room vibrated and I had the sensation of being in an elevator, ya know, like somehow you're lighter and everything.

"This room appears to be an elevator." Kurapika said as he seated me in one of the chairs around a large table. Then he sat down.

"Dana," He was sitting right opposite to me. "There's something I want to ask you."

"Sure thing, bro."

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

I paused for a moment. He knows... He knows about me... "Why are you asking me such a pointless question?" Best way to avoid answering, right? It didn't work.

"As I thought. Your vision is bothering you, isn't it?"

"No! My eyes are fine!"

"Obviously that is a lie. Don't you trust your friends enough to let us know the truth?"

I was irked. He had used the 'trust' and 'friendship' thing. That stuff really got to me. Don't you just hate it when people do that? I sighed, "Fine, I'll tell ya. I've gone blind."

"Blind?!" Leorio said, "How is that possible?! You were fine when I met you!"

"Man, stop yelling in my ears. This happens to me sometimes."

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Kurapika asked, "To lose your vision like that? How long does it last?"

"Dunno. A few minutes to a few days - HEY!" I felt Leorio's hands on my face. He stretched my eyelids open and I felt his breath on my face. Too close for comfort.

"Hn- I don't think there's anything wrong with her eyes." I would have kicked him in the nuts if he'd stayed close for one more second.

"What do you mean?" Kurapika asked.

"It's probably a psychological effect. The brain blocks impulses from the optical nerves."

"What does that mean?" Gon asked.

"She's sick." Kurapika said.

"She's sick AND blind?!"

"No, Gon," I said, "A long time ago, when I was really small, a gun exploded in my face and I got gun powder in my eyes. It didn't hurt me, but since then, I've had this problem."

"Oh." He said, but I was quite sure he still didn't get it.

"That would explain it," Leorio said, "I've heard that people who experience that kind of trauma may develop temporary blindness."

"I honestly don't know much about eye diseases. Isn't there a cure?"

"I don't know that well either. This is the first time I've met someone with this condition."

"No cure. It goes away after a while." I said.

"Aw, poor Dana." I felt Gon's hand on mine and I swallowed this lump in my throat. Damn! I'm not used to being so close with people in general. Back at home, I hardly ever went out. My mom and I never talk to each other because of all the effed up shit that happened back then. Din and Dua were not speaking with me since they were on mom's side. Dani knows the way I feel, but he's hardly home. Come to think of it, I've never really had a friend before I came here. And now there was Gon and I'd say it's because of him that I'm friends with Leorio and Kurapika.

"Thanks for your concern." I smiled. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. We walked into some kind of underground tunnel.

"Strange atmosphere here." Leorio said.

"They're clearly different from the hunter applicants we saw at the harbor. Dana, it'd be best for you to act normal now and wait, as you say, for your vision to return to normal."

"Of course. I don't want people taking advantage of me when I'm like this."

"Hey!" Gon said. No response. "Everyone is tensed."

"Please take a number." A tiny person approached me.

"W-well I-" I held my hand out and he put a chest plate in my hand. The others got one too.

"Please wear these all the time and don't lose them."

Kurapika helped me put it on.

"What number is this?" I whispered.

"Four zero two."

"I see. No wait, I don't." I fingered the badge gently. It was round and felt cold. Probably made of metal.

"Haven't seen you here before. You guys rookies?" A voice asked. I turned to look at the source.

"You can tell?" Gon said.

"More or less. After all, this will be my thirty fifth attempt."

"Thirty fifth?!" We all asked.

He walked towards us. "You could say I'm an exam veteran. You can ask me any questions you want. My name is Tonpa."

Gon introduced us to him. "Hey, are there others who've repeated the exams a lot of times like you?"

"We'll, I'm the one with the most experience, however, there are a few others, for example that guy- number 225, Todo the wrestler. He's unmatched in strength and a lot smarter than he looks. Then we have number 103 Bourbon the snake charmer. He tends to hold grudges, so I wouldn't get on his bad side. Then there is number 191 Bodoro. He's getting old, but you won't find a better martial artist than him. Then there are the Amori brothers. They perform well because of their team work. Then number 384, Garretta the huntsman. He specializes in killing all kinds of animals by using blow darts. There are more, but these are the ones who have taken the test most number of times."

I heard what this guy was saying, but my brain didn't register it. It was like I sort of zoned out. I've got to think of a plan to get my eye sight back. I can't fool everyone, even though I can act like I'm fine. I started to think. This usually happens when I get tensed or nervous. So, to make this go away, I had to become calm and un - scared. Right, if only I could control that part of myself. And besides, this time is different. I'm not reliving any kind of trauma. My life isn't in immediate danger and I was, and still am, very confident that I'll pass the hunter's exam. So what is bothering me?

A blood curdling scream woke me from my trance. As sort of a reflex action, I grabbed onto Gon's arm. This kind of stuff is even worse than if you can't see. And everyone was silent. God, whoever did whatever to that man - everyone was scared. This guy must be seriously dangerous.

"That psychopath is here again." Tonpa remarked.

"Again? He was here before?" I asked.

"Number 44, Hisoka the magician. He was here hast year and he almost passed. But then, he almost killed one of the examiners and was disqualified."

"A-and they're letting him in again this year?!" Leorio asked.

"Of course. The examiners and the exam itself changes every year. It's the examiners that call all the shots. If they decide on it, even the devil himself can pass the exam."

Realizing that I had been holding onto Gon's arm for longer than necessary, I reluctantly released him. All of a sudden, I felt strangely frustrated. There was the fact that I was blind and then there was - only this unexplainable feeling, like I'd eaten something bad last night. But my stomach was more or less empty. So what was it? The weight of the room was beginning to fall on me. I became acutely aware that the room was full of hunter applicants and at least some of them were dangerous.

"What's the matter? You don't look too good." It was Tonpa who said that. Damn! He caught me off guard. I can't let the other candidates know. They'll trip me up for sure!

"I feel a little sick, that's all..."

"Well, in that case, I have something that might make you feel better. Here."

"Oh, that's greatly appreciated." Leorio said.

Great. Since I couldn't see what the damn he was holding in his hand, I said, "Thanks, but I'm good."

"No need to be so formal. It's just a little juice. Take it as a symbol of our friendship." He pushed it onto me and I took it. I held the cold metallic can in my hand. I really wasn't in the mood for juice or anything. But I took it anyway. Maybe, I'll drink it later.

"Guys thanks a lot for this," I said, "This really means a lot to me."

"Hay, Dana. What's wrong with you?! You look-" Leorio was able to say something. I assume Kurapika must have stopped him from finishing what he was about to say.

"If you want to sit somewhere," Tonpa said, "There's a comfy spot over there. You can sit there in peace. Come with me. So guys, I'd loved to have a drink with you, but I'll see you around."

I walked with my head low in total confusion. If only I could restore my eyes. The blackness will go away. Tonpa was being really nice by trying to start a conversation with me. "There aren't many girls here, you know. There's Ponzu-san. She's really good. She was here last year too. There aren't any girls worth noting. Here." He let me sit down beside the wall. I sat with my back to it and drew my knees up to my chest.

I wanted to go home. No, not back home, but back to the past when my mom and dad weren't fighting. Yeah, I know there's no use in complaining. Someone once told me that eighty five percent of all families were dysfunctional. So it was only normal. I just didn't like being blamed for causing the fight between mom and dad. It was something Dua (my sister) acused me of. Then I began to think that maybe mom felt the same way too. Maybe that's why she was so cold to me. But that's a story for a different day.

I was staring blindly at the can of juice. Maybe I should drink it. It could probably calm my nerves. Then I felt someone sit next to me.

"Hey," He said, "Are you going to drink that?"

"Huh? This juice?" I asked, looking in his direction.

"Yeah. If you don't want it, I'll take it. I like this flavor a lot." I held out the can and he took it from me.

Thinking to introduce myself, I said, "My name is Dana."

"I'm Killua." Then he added, "You know, it's really strange to see a blind candidate here."

I blinked twice. "You can tell?! I'm supposedly very good at acting." I heaved a sigh.

Killua let out a short laugh before he said, "You can't fool me!"

I suppose I couldn't. This fellow, I was getting the same vibe I got from Gon. And, he was different all the same, like really different.

"I'm not always blind, ya know? This only happens to me sometimes."

"Eh? How's that?"

"Well, that's a long story. I'll tell ya later." I wasn't liking the fact that I was opening up to him like that.

"Oh, okay. But why are you pretending then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Wouldn't it be better if you just let everyone know you're blind? That way, you won't have anything to hide. Plus, nobody will know it's your weakness."

He had a point. If someone were to find out and act like they didn't know... And since I couldn't see, I could easily be misguided. "I see. But why are you telling me all this?"

"I just felt like it."

"Okay, so how do I let everyone know that I'm blind?"

"That's easy. Just cover your eyes."

"Cover my eyes? With what? Ooh! I have some gauze." The gauze bandages that Dani stuffed into my pocket last minute before I left. I almost forgot I still had it. That and some anti-septic ointment. I tore a long strip and wrapped it around my head, covering my eyes.

Then a ringing sound was heard, along with the sound and tremors of a large door being opened. "What was that?" I asked, getting up on my feet.

"It looks like the test is about to begin." He paused for a moment, "You're friends are probably worried about you." And then I lost him. No matter how hard I strained my ears, I couldn't hear the sound of his footsteps.

"Sorry for the wait," I heard a male voice announce, "The entry period for the applicants for the exam is over. The hunter exam is about to begin." When I heard that, a shiver went down my spine. I felt excited all over again. It's finally starting.

"A final word of caution. If you are short on luck or ability, you could end up seriously injured or dead. Those who accept the risks, follow me. Others may exit via the elevator behind you."

I smiled. Now that I didn't have my eyes to worry about, my ears felt sharper. There's no way I'm going back. Not without my very own hunter's license.

"So then, all 405 applicants will take part in Phase One."

I followed the foot stepps of the announcer. I soon found Gon.

"Why are your eyes bandaged?" He asked.

"So that everyone will know I'm blind."

"But isn't that what you wanted to prevent?" Leorio asked.

"Actually, this is a good idea," Kurapika said, "I would have suggested it myself."

Heh. I should thank Killua for that. (Where was he?) After a few minutes of walking, I felt odd. In fact, I didn't realize that the man had picked up the pace until I started running. It was then that the man introduced himself as Satotz, the Phase One examiner. He was going to lead us to Phase Two which must mean that this running after him was the first phase. Easy enough, right?

* * *

To **MCRDanime:** About that, Dana said that she could shoot by ear. At that time with the navigators, she fired blanks because she knew that she'd risk shooting her friends. If there was no risk, she would have used real bullets.


	4. The never ending tunnel

A note from Aim. Read it first.

Hey everyone! I tried changing my style a bit. Honestly, I like this better and I've also started adding headings to my chapters. I'd like your opinions.

Oh, and **Sweet Love081** asked me for a description of Dana. I was thinking of making her a blank page. She can look like whatever you want her to and she can be any age you feel like. But do you want me to write up her appearance as well? Or, better yet, why don't you post something in the comments section? The only thing is that Dana is not really feminie, though I won't call her a tomboy. She does not keep her hair pretty or wear excessively cute clothes. Aside from that, all ideas are welcome!

* * *

**Chapter four - The never ending tunnel & Satotz, the man-faced ape**

**Part I - The never ending tunnel**

Two hours. Two WHOLE hours. That's how long we'd been running. No, the running part was fine. What made me feel frustrated was that we'd been doing nothing but running. It's so boring. Plus no one knew where or when this running was going to end. I was getting so sweaty that my shirt stuck to my back and the gauze around my eyes was drenched. Well, at least I was doing better than Leorio who sounded like he'd been running for two hours - oh wait, he has.

No one was talking anymore. Gon, Kurapika and Leorio was silent (if you discount his panting breaths) Then, among the symphony of feet pounding on the floor, I heard something distinct cut through - the sound of a skateboard.

A skateboard was something I recognized almost instantly. Where I came from, only the really angsty gangster boys rode skateboards. My brother Dani was one of them, even though he wasn't into gangs. My mom considered him something of a lost case. He was taller and a lot bigger than me, despite being two years younger. He and I shared everything else - hair and eye color, skin complexion, facial features and each other's deep dark secrets. He was always quiet and never bothered us with anything. He'd go out during the day and sometimes at night and never talked about his life in the open. He was only rarely present at meals that my sister Dua and I would be surprised if we saw him in the dining room.

So naturally, the sound of my skateboard would remind me of my brother. Oh Dani.

"Hey, kid! Show the hunter exam some respect." Leorio yelled at whoever was on that skateboard.

"What do you mean?" The boy asked.

"This is an endurance test! You're using a skateboard! That's cheating."

"Killua!" I called out. "Killuaaa!" I waved my hand in his direction.

"Dana?" He rolled back until he was in level with Gon and I. I took the opportunity to introduce them to each other. After acknowledging my existence, Killua asked Gon the question of how old he was.

"I'm twelve." Killua rewarded this response by flipping his skateboard and landing cleanly on his feet. Sure, I didn't see what he did, but it sounded cool. Gon thought so too and he said it. Then, after some small talk, we resumed running.

Around two hours and nearly twice that distance later, I found that almost twenty candidates had dropped out. I began to fear that Leorio was one of them. Gon and I stopped as he slowed down and sat warily on the floor.

"Forget about him. Let's go." Killua said.

"Wait for it..." I said. I knew quite well that he wouldn't give up just like that. If he had some trouble finding his motivation, I'll shoot him a paint ball to provoke him. In fact, my hand went to my holster and fingered the pistol when Leorio looked up.

"I'M GOING TO BE A HUNTER" He ran as he shouted that past us, so fast that the wind ruffled my hair in the still tunnel.

"Go Leorio!" I shouted a cheer but I don't think he heard me.

Gon then flicked his fishing rod and with a few soundless movements, captured Leorio's suitcase. That was enough to impress both Killua and I.

"Can I try that?"

"Mee too! I wanna try too!"

"Sure. And Killua, can I try your skateboard too?"

More than one hour later, Satotz said, "We've reached the eighty kilometre mark. Time to pick up the pace." Eighty kilos? We've been running that long? Whoa.

"Hey," Killua said, "Let's have a race and see who wins." A race sounded pretty fun and I didn't want to lose to those two, so I joined in as well.

"Okay," Gon said, "Loser has to buy the winner lunch."

"You are so on. But I should warn you. I eat a lot."

Ready? Three, two, one - GO! We ran faster than before. I kept the pace with Gon and Killua; heh, I'll overtake them at the goal. We reached the bottom of a flight of stairs and Gon was kind enough to warn me, but truthfully, I didn't need it. I could hear the contestants as they navigated the staircase.

"Leorio, Kurapika!" Gon greeted the two who were a little ahead of us. "See you at the exit."

"Later, old timer" Killua said. Then Leorio said something that has secured its place in the top ten most unbelievable facts I've ever heard. "I'm not that old! I'm a teenager, just like you guys!"

Ooookaaaay... So, putting that aside...

Around us, several people dropped out as we ran. "I'm surprised the two of you can keep up with me." Before we thought he was complimenting us, Killua added, "Either that or everyone else is too slow. At this rate, the hunter exam will be a piece of cake. Man, this is no fun."

"Hey, Killua," Gon asked, "Why do you want to be a hunter?"

"I never really wanted to be a hunter. I just heard the exam is really tough so I thought I might give it a try. But this is stupid. What about you?"

"Me? My dad's a hunter, so I wanted to be one just like him."

"Really? What kind of a hunter is he?"

"I don't know." Killua laughed when he heard Gon say that.

"What d'ya mean ya don't know? You never asked him?" I asked.

"I've never met him."

"He dead?"

"No. See, I was raised by Mito-san (at this point I interrupted. "His aunt Mito-san" I told Killua) So, I've only seen my dad in pictures. He took the hunter exam when he was twelve and left home. I wanted to meet him and ask him why he chose to be a hunter over being with me."

So he was abandoned. So it wasn't just my mom. Are all hunters lousy parents? "Ya know, my mom was a hunter. She quit after she got pregnant for the fourth time. Now she just sits around at home." I took their silence as a que to continue. "My mom always told me stories of how she was when she was a hunter and it sounded like the coolest job ever. So I want to be a hunter too." I felt my eyes moisten from the sweat underneath the gauze. I'll never be one like her. Never ever.

**Part II - Satotz, the man-faced ape**

"Hey look," Gon said, "The exit." That was my que to run faster. I tried my best to cross the goal. However, Gon and Killua won.

"You lost. You know what that means, right?" Killua asked.

"I know. Dinner. No worries. I'm loaded."

Gon asked Satotz if this was the site of the next test to which the man replied that it wasn't. What a pain.

"So, where is this place?" I wondered.

"Can't see. It's really foggy." Killua said. I heard him sit down, so I sat next to him. Gon sat on my other side, so now I was in between the two.

"Hey can I see that?" Killua asked. He was talking about the guns. "Sure." I handed one to him. I had a nice supply of paintballs.

"Paint balls? That's cool." I heard the trigger being pulled. "Aw, I missed."

"What are you trying to shoot?"

"A rock."

"Let me try." Gon tried and he missed too. I reached out and pulled the other gun and listened for a moment. I heard the flapping of wings and a distinct 'caw' sound so I shot and the bird landed on the ground. This seemed to amaze the boys.

"Shooting is easy. Just aim and fire. The only thing you have to worry about is keeping your hands steady and balance the recoil. When the gun shoots, it moves back. You have to anticipate that." I shot again and another bird fell. The boys tried repeatedly to shoot the rock and in the end, Gon succeeded.

"But you're standing too close to it! At that distance I can shoot it too!" By then the other contestants had begun to arive and we were forced to abandon our shooting range. After waiting a while, finally Leorio and Kurapika showed up.

"He'ya guys. You sure 're slow!" Kurapika ignored my remark and asked if we have reached the destination. No, we haven't.

"Numere wetlands," Satotz began after most of the candidates had arrived, "also known as swindler's swamp. We must cross this to reach the next stage. This place is home to many bizarre animals, many who are cunning and insatiable who deceive humans and feed on them." That sounded like an accurate description of my mother.

The tunnel gates closed as the last candidate tried to pull himself across the doorway.

"These creatures will use all kinds of tricks to fool their prey. An ecosystem where creatures use deceit to kill their prey, hence the name Swindler's Swamp. Stay very close to me, so you won't be deceived."

Then, a man stepped up from the other side of the tunnel, "Don't let them fool you! Don't fall for it! He's not the real examiner, I am. Look at this!" The people gasped in shock.

"He looks just like Satotz- san" Gon said.

"The Man-faced ape who lives in the wetlands. They love the taste of human flesh, but their limbs are long and thin and quite weak. So they trick humans and lure them into the wetlands where they team up with other animals to kill and eat them. He intends on trapping every single applicant." I heard several people buy that story, including Leorio. I thought to myself. Was Satotz really fooling us? Neither Gon, nor Killua said anything and since I was blind, I couldn't judge for myself.

Then I heard screaming sounds, followed by the sickening shuffle of a deck of playing cards. Apparently, Hisoka had attacked both Satotz and the other man. Satotz was able to block him quite nicely. The other man died. That sent a shiver up my spine. I thought of reaching out for Gon's hand, but decided against it. I just couldn't do it in front of Killua.

I heard Hisoka's voice as he spoke, "I see. That settles it. You're the real deal." He explained to us, "Examiners are hunters selected by the committee to do this job without pay. Any hunter bearing the title we seek would have been able to block that attack." It was amazing how calm he sounded, despite having just killed someone.

Satotz also seemed calm when he said, "I take that as a compliment. But if you attack me again for any purpose, I will report you for attacking an examiner and you will be disqualified."

The sound of vultures were heard as they fed on the fresh corpse. "Nature sure is brutal to watch," said Leorio. I'll say. The sound was enough to conjure vile images in my mind. But at least the body was fresh. Otherwise, the scent of rotten flesh would've made me puke.

"So he was a man faced ape as well." Kurapika said after which Killua warned us to be on our guard the whole time.

"You can expect such tricks on a regular basis." Satotz said, "I suspect a number of you were fooled into suspecting my identity. If you lose sight of me while we're there, you will not see the second phase of the exam. Do you understand? Then let's be on our way. Please follow me."

The thougt was depressing. So, I decided to poke Leorio. "Won't it be funny if you'da followed him?"

"No way! I knew right from the beginning that he was fake!"

"Of course you did!" I laughed. I made him really angry and it felt better. Now, what's next? Numere wetlands? Here I come!


	5. Swindler's Swamp

Aim here - I've decided to pair Dana with Gon as there are a lot of Killua X OCs out there and I don't want to add one more to the pile. Plus, when I think about it, Dana's the kind of person who'd find Gon attractive and honestly, who doesn't love Gon? So there it is. Hope you guys are happy.

About Dana's appearance, I'll drop hints here and there as to what she looks like. I kind of want her to be a clean slate, like you know, even though you haven't seen her, you'll have an idea of what she looks like and that'll be different from person to person. I personally don't like character descriptions handed out to me, so I'll still try to keep it as vague as possible, since that is my personal preferance.

* * *

**Chapter five - Swindler's swamp**

I could feel the humidity in the atmosphere. So, the fog hasn't completely gone yet. The ground was wet and my feet sunk into the mud. Don't tell me we have to run another hundred kilos here! Slosh, slosh, slosh. The sounds were quite different from when we were in the tunnel. Actually this sounded funnier.

I heard Satotz say, "Be sure to stay close to me." Right, right. He'd said that at least a dozen times already.

"Guys," Killua said, "Let's move up."

"Right. We don't want to lose sight of the examiner." Gon replied.

"Actually, I want to increase the distance between Hisoka and us. He's dangerous. I can smell it in the air." Killua could smell it; I could taste it. I was actually beginning to pick out his footsteps in from the crowd and for some reason, it was almost like I could sense his presence. The guy is incredibly powerful.

"I don't smell anything." Gon said, "Leorio, Kurapika, Killua says we should move ahead." I would have yelled at anyone else to shut up, but not Gon. He was waaay too cute. Ugh! What am I thinking?

"Hey, can't you sense the tension in the air? I'm moving up." Killua started running ahead. Gon and I in the distance, I heard Leorio and Kurapika tell us that they were fine. Okay.

After I had been running through the wet ground for a while, I got adapted to it. But I had to admit, I was getting kind of tired, like my feet were feeling heavy. The two boys seemed fine, though. People were dying around us and I could pick out various animal sounds. And they were'nt friendly sounds either. They were roars and growls. It didn't take us long to realize that we were separated from everyone else.

"I think we're lost." I said.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Killua said, "Let's keep running this way. I don't want to get any more lost in this place."

"I can hear people screaming..." Gon said. I could too. And more, I was feeling really, really tired. I just wanted to lie down on the ground and sleep.

"Just be on your guard at all times." Killua said, "Dana, you okay?"

"Just tired." No, not tired. Sleepy. Right, I was sleepy...

"I hope Leorio and Kurapika are okay." and as Gon said that, I stopped. "You guys feel that?" The two of them stopped. I was quite sure we stepped on something. Then the ground gave way. A trap?!

I assumed it was some large reptile of sorts that swallowed us. We stayed in it's belly for a while till it spat us out. It was a really unpleasant journey. I thought a few of my bones might have gotten dislocated, being forced down its gut. I examined myself as I got on my knees, I was fine.

"Boy, did I live through someone's ryona fantasy." (Ryona is a kind of fetish that men have in which they like to see women getting beat up, or in this case, eaten.)

"Guess he didn't like the taste of us." Gon said.

"No, look, it was this." Killua showed us the can of juice.

"Tonpa-san's juice? Guess he saved us."

"I could've escaped." Killua said. Then Gon reached for my back, making me flinch. "Hey! What'd'ya think yar doin'?!"

"What's that under your shirt?"

"No, no Gon! Let go - I'm not - I'M NOT LETTING YOU TAKE MY SHIRT OFF!" But he kept insisting there was something there and I felt under and sure enough, there really was something big and alive there.

God, this was so embarassing. I sat with my back to the two, holding my shirt against my chest, trying to protect whatever dignity I had left. Thankfully, they were both very young and not perverts - at least, they didn't act that way.

"It's a leech!" Gon said. "No wonder you look sick."

"Man, that's huge! How do we get it off?"

"Guys! Do something fast! I don't want to sit like this for a long time." My face was burning hot now. I just wanted to bury myself somewhere. Actually, I had half a mind to let the leech stay on my back.

"We have to pull it out slowly." Gon said.

"Ew! Don't touch it. Isn't there some other way? Can't we just leave it there?"

"It's too big to leave it on her back. Rubbing salt is the only other thing I can think of." Gon said and I felt his fingers on my bare back. I suppressed a yelp. After what seemed like an eternity, it came off. Gon used his foot to crush it. So glad to put my shirt back on, I thanked them awkwardly. I got up to continue on our way.

Gon stood there for a moment. "I'm worried about Leorio and Kurapika."

"Forget about them. Let's get a move on." Killua might be cruel, but he was right. Right now, we have to concentrate on passing the exam. Everything else is secondary. I know that fact from experience.

When we started running again, I heard that Gon was really silent. I didn't worry about him. He was too dense. So I said to Killua, "Hey, let's agree never to talk about this again."

"Talk about what?" Oh, he was making fun of me, I knew it. "You know what I'm talking about. I'm not gonna say it, but if you ever bring it up, you're gonna be sorry." I hoped I sounded at least mildly convincing.

"Relax. I won't tell anyone that you undressed in front of us."

"It was just my shirt!" I sighed. I didn't want to fight about this. The whole leech thing still made me feel tired. After running for a while, I began to hear the sound of other runners.

"Dana! Look, we've caught up to the main group. Gon! Gon?"

"Gon? Where is he?"

"He must have gone after those two. That idiot!"

"We gotta go find him." I turned to go, but Killua stopped me, "Forget about him, Dana. Let's go!" I stopped for a moment and I decided that Killua was right. I followed close to him, feeling lost and uncertain. We joined the procession at the end and we made it to the site of the Second Exam where Satotz was waiting patiently.

I sat down by a tree, exhausted and panting. The gauze was dripping wet, so I removed it with the idea of changing it. Then I almost jumped in fright. I could see. I blinked twice and everything was so crystal clear to me.

"No way. You can see now?" Killua stood in front of me and I marvelled at how pale he was. His hair was a shining shade of silver. It just made him look paler. I looked at him and I looked around at all the trees and the other vegetation and at the other contestants. I even saw Satotz-san who really did have long slender limbs.

"I can see you! You're all pale!" I poked his forehead, earning an irritated reaction from him.

"Exactly how did this happen?" Killua asked, "This is the first time I've met someone whose sight goes on and off like this."

"I got gun powder in my eyes when I was a child and - Is that Hisoka?!" I stared at the read head in the clown suit. He looked dangerous, with a murderous aura I could almost see; it must be him. Also, he was carrying Leorio on his shoulder. I started running to him, but Killua caught hold of my jacket, "Just leave him. He isn't dead."

I relented and he let go. I watched Hisoka as he put Leorio down by a tree. But then, another thought occured to me. "Where's Gon?!"

"Just forget about him." Killua said. He said it casually, but there was an unsettling emotion behind it. By now, I was relating to him. He and I were a lot alike. I could tell, he probably came from an influential family and was probably raised with a lot of care but without any real love. It was that way for me. But, I wouldn't say we're the same. No, there was something about him that was a lot different. What that was, I hadn't figured out yet. He seemed like a force to be reconed with. The fact that he was looking out for me made me feel a little better. But thinking about Gon made a pit in my stomach. What did Hisoka do to him?

I didn't realize that I'd been staring at Hisoka till he smiled at me. Creepy. I quickly turned my head away and planted my eyes on the road by which we had come. Behind us, a fort like structure enclosed the second phase of the test. I'll be taking it with Gon. My gut told me and it was never wrong.


	6. I hate pigs

A note from Aim: I don't think this chapter is all that good. Please put up with me.

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**Chapter six - I don't think I'll eat pork again**

Part I - Catching the pigs

I didn't realize that I'd dozed off until I was woken up by Gon. "Gon!" I put both my arms around him. I released him quickly, though. I didn't want to seem too affectionate. I turned my attention to Kurapika and Leorio, pulling them for a group hug. When I asked why Leorio's face was all swollen, Gon told me that he was beaten up by Hisoka. Ouch. But at least he was okay.

"Now, may I have your attention?" Satotz-san spoke up. "All of you have done well. Phase two will take place here in the Biska Forest Park. So, I will now take my leave. Best of luck to all of you." Then he walked away in a strange manner, like one of those old battery - driven robots that walk.

"Thanks a lot for everything!" I shouted. He waved at me as he left and I waved back. I soon joined what seemed to be my two best friends - Gon and Killua. The feeling was nice.

Behind us was the fort like structure that enclosed the Biska National Park. The giant double doors slid open. At a distance, there was a mansion of some sort and sitting outside was a scantily clad woman with big boobs and a five way hair style. "Will all the candidates who passed Phase one please come inside? Welcome, I'm the examiner of the second phase, Menchi"

Behind her was a man ten times her size. "I'm Buhara, the other examiner." By then we had all assembled inside and were wondering what those two wanted from us. A loud rumbling sound scared us. We looked around to see where it came from... Right, it came from Buhara's stomach.

"Aw," Menchi looked at her companion, "Are you hungry?" To which he replied "I'm starving." If they were trying to scare us, they succeeded.

"Well, there you have it! The second phase of the exam will involve cooking!"

"Did she just say cooking?" I wondered aloud and Kurapika said, "It would appear so."

Then that big guy, whatshisname - Todo asked, "But we're here to take the hunter's exam!"

"That's right. Your job is to produce a dish that will satisfy both our palates."

"Why do we have to cook?" Todo was right. Why cooking? It's not a skill needed to be a hunter and it's certainly not a skill that I had. I couldn't cook at gun point.

"Why? Because we are Gourmet hunters." This caused a ripple of laughter. Apparently, being a gourmet hunter is a really stupid thing. Those idiots! Can't they see they're antagonizing her? Who'd do such a thing? Especially when they had the power to kick us out if they felt like it.

"Okay, so tell us Gourmet Hunters," Todo's tone was mocking, "What do you want us to cook for you?"

Menchi looked more pissed off than ever. Buhara seemed unfazed, though, "The required ingredient is pork." We could use any kind of pig meat we wanted. All we had to do was put up a dish they both liked. Then Menchi said, "And we won't be judging you just based on the taste. Don't underestimate the skill that goes into cooking, got it? When we've both eaten our fill, the exam will end." Buhara signalled the start by banging on his stomach like a drum and I wondered how much such a big man would eat.

We went out the gate and went looking around for pigs.

"Catch a pig and cook it," Leorio said, "Sounds simpler than the first test." Kurapika wondered out loud if it would be that easy. Then, Gon abruplty jumped and slid down a slope. Killua followed. It looked like fun, so I followed as well. Whoo! The sliding part was fun, but that only ended up in me crashing right into Killua and then being crushed by the combined effort of Leorio and Kurapika.

"Damn you, Killua!"

"Hey! This is Gon's fault!"

Then Gon silenced us as he had found a herd of pigs and they were gnawing on what I certainly hoped was not human bones. And then they saw us.

"STAMPEDE!" I yelled as we lead the pigs to the other candidates. They saw us and went scrambling in all directions. That managed to split up the herd too.

"Take that!" I turned around and shot a paintball at the pig right behind me. What? No effect? Paintballs are enough to scare most animals. Fine then, I'll play. I loaded real bullets into the gun and shot the pig. It just bounced off it's snout. I emptied my entire barrell. All the bullets bounced off. It bought me a few seconds to sit and think for a moment. "That didn't take it out?" Kurapika asked. He was now right next to me.

"That thing is a *(censored word)* tank!" I loaded another round of bullets. Damn. At this rate I'll run out.

"Please mind your language. You're a girl after all."

"YOU are a girl! And a real doll, too!" I got up on my feet, ready to run. Kurapika said something, but I wasn't listening. Is there no way to kill this thing?

Looking around, I saw Gon strike one of the pigs on its forehead. It died almost instantly. Could that be? Is it's forehead it's weak point? I took one shot and it died lay dead at my feet. I crouched down and spoke to it, "Ya know piggy? Up close, you're kinda cute."

Part II - The cooking

Grills flared up as the contestants started roasting their pigs. I'd do that too, if I knew how to operate a grill or roast something for that matter. Leorio and Kurapika looked like they had some idea of what they were doing. Gon too, he was dressed in this apron and looked so damn cute. I wanted to give him a hug.

"Wondering what it would be like to kiss him?" Killua asked. What?! My eyes went wide. Have I been staring? Looks like I have, and that too, for a long time. "No worries. I won't tell him that you like him."

"It's only been like, two days since we met. Get your head out of the gutter!" Even as I said that, I felt my face heat up slightly. Now I was beginning to wonder what it would be like to kiss him. I bet it'd feel nice... GOD! That kind of thought should be the last thing in my mind! I'm here to be a hunter! Oh, I blame Killua for putting it in my head.

"Two days is plenty of time, isn't it?" He had a knowing smirk on his face. "I'd say two days is more than enough."

I exhaled a deep breath. "Do you know how to cook?" I asked as sternly as I could. I so totally was not discussing that topic with him. "Nope." He still had that look. I was tempted to try and attack him. I controlled myself since I knew by now that he was physically very much stronger than me.

"Me either. What're we gonna do?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe I should just give up..." I heaved a sigh. To have to give up because I can't cook. How stupid. When I go home and tell Mom, she's going to laugh her head off.

"Would Gon give up?" Killua asked in that knowing tone. I was about to say something nasty to him, but instead I said, "You know, you're right. I shouldn't be giving up here. I'll give it a try at the very least." And ignoring him entirely, I went off to roast my pig.

Part III - The aftermath of the cooking

Todo was the first person to present his dish and consequently, the first person to get eliminated. Every person failed. Not even one candidate would pass the test. I was beginning to feel a little irritated.

That Todo guy was stupid enough to not only wreck his station, but also try and attack Menchi. Buhara sent him flying. He should know that all hunters have super powers. I've met several hunters during the time Mom was one and they all had super powers. I wonder, if I become a hunter, will I have that kind of power too? Then maybe I'll go home and beat the crap out of her. That would be funny. After that may be, she'll raise the rest of her children better.

Menchi sort of had an explosion and she concluded her speech like this: "Your lack of willingness to try new things is what makes all of you unfit to become hunters!"

"That being said, it would be a little unfair to disqualify all of them."

I looked up and saw an airship - big blue and kind of looked like a shark. Then, a strange, familiar looking old man jumps out and lands on the ground with such an impact, it creates a crater. See? Super powers.

Apparently, he is the chairman of the Hunter Exam Selection Committee and he's in charge of this years hunter exam. (Where have I met him before?) Between him and Menchi, they managed to work out an arrangement by which we get to do a different test and this time, Menchi will demonstrate it herself. We head off to Mt. Split-in-Half for a boiled egg challenge. I smiled to myself. Boiling eggs is something I can do.

Part IV - On board the airship

So, we got on board the air ship. And there I sat next to Killua on a bench in the main room and he still had that knowing look on his face. I pretended not to notice. I couldn't help cast a glance at Gon though. I shook my head in an effort to get those thoughts out. I still need to remember where I've met the old man before. I had a reasonably good memory, so if I don't remember him, the encounter must have been insignificant. When I was a child, maybe? I was such a problem child. Hope I didn't tick him off.

"Hey Gon," Killua said, "Want to hear something funny?" Oh, how dare he?! I pinched his thigh. He wasn't anticipating it. "Ouch! What was that for?"

I put a gun to his head, "Don't you dare! You promised you wouldn't tell!"

"Promise? I made no promise." He reached for my gun and I gave it to him. He looked puzzled for a moment. Yeah, the barrel was empty. I would never point a loaded gun at one of my friends - not even paint balls. So, it was safe to give it to him.

"What? Tell what?" We captured Gon's curiosity. "Nothing." I quickly said. "Liar." Killua said, "She has something very important to tell - " I put my hand on his mouth and he elbowed me in the stomach. Why you! This resulted in us having a sort of fist fight that wasn't really serious. Now that I think of it, it was pretty funny.

"What are you guys doing?" Leorio asked.

"Nothing." We paused for a moment and the two of us said it at the same time.

"Honestly, you shouldn't be behaving like this in public." Kurapika was right. People were looking at us. I released my grip on his shirt and he let go of my hair and that was over. Killua was silent all of a sudden. I knew he wouldn't tell. He'd never break me. He just wants to provoke me and get some kind of reaction. Damn! I shouldn't turn into his play thing.

"But what is it?" Gon asked.

"It's nothing." Killua said. He was sulking now. I elbowed him in the ribs and he looked pissed. I wasn't liking this bipolar nature of his. I looked at Gon who was looking expectantly at me and I flushed. "It really is nothing." I said. Honestly, when I thought of it, it was nothing. I hardly knew him! But all the same... Why is this so complicated?

Part V - The boiled egg challenge

We were now on Mt. Split-in-Half and just like the title suggests, it was split in half. We were peering into an endless abyss that was some natural cut in the mountain. When I looked closely, I saw something, but what was it?

"That is the web of the spider eagle." Menchi explained. Whoa, that was some web. A strong gust of wind ruffled my hair and my jacket.

"Look beneath the webs," They are the eggs of the spider eagle. As Netero explained, Spider eagles make webs in some of the deep taverns so that they can keep them safe. They are one of the hardest ingredients to obtain and were called 'dream eggs'.

Menchi did one of the craziest things ever, she jumped into it. She held on one of the web strings. After waiting a few moments, she got hold of an egg and let go. I thought she was going to commit suicide till she rode the updrafts and sort of floated back to where we were. That looked like it was so much fun, I wanted to jump right away.

"Now I just need to boil it." That was it? This is going to be a cake walk. "I'm so ready to do this!" I could barely contain myself.

"Me too!" Gon said and Killua looked better. He looked great actually, the exact opposite of earlier. I had to learn to deal with his mood swings if I were to be his friend.

We jumped down and held on to the webs like Menchi. That was a ridiculously dangerous thing to do, I learnt after jumping as I dangled by a spider eagle's web above a bottomless pit of certain death.

Two of the contestants let go and dropped to their untimely demise.

"They're as good as dead." I said as I watched them fall. I felt scared all of a sudden.

"There's no wind?" Leorio asked to which Kurapika replied that there wasn't one always.

"When's the next one?" Leorio asked. I was looking deep into the tavern. "I-I have no idea."

"We just have to wait." Gon reassured me. I looked at him for a moment. Killua was between us and he looked seriously at me as if to reassure. I looked back at the ground. "Don't look there," Killua said, "Not yet, Gon?"

"Damn it! The web's snapping!" Leorio said. I felt a sudden movement and felt dizzy all of a sudden. "The web won't hold us all." Kurapika said.

"Don't you dare let go, Dana!" Killua said and it was then I realized that there was a thought lingering in the back of my mind, telling me to let go. Looks like he was psychic too. I held on tight. "Not yet, Gon?" He asked. The other contestants were waiting for Gon to give the signal. In a way he was helping everyone. He really was way too nice.

"Now!" Gon said and I let go along with all the others. I got an egg and I rode the updraft. I couldn't suppress a happy giggle. If this is what flying felt like, then birds sure were lucky. It wasn't a floating sensation, it was more like flowing - like when you're washed away by a river current, except even better! I was almost sorry when I landed and it went away.

We boiled the egg and ate it. I really didn't like hard boiled eggs, but this one was an exception. It was so much richer in flavor and just plain heavenly. I watched Gon as he shared his with Todo. He was so nice to do that. Todo accepted defeat and promised to come back next year.

And I just remembered where I met old man Netero. Dear God!


	7. A game against Netero

Aim here: I have been getting some really good reviews from **Singular Poisonous Ashes** and I just want to say that I'm really thankful. I knew that the last chapter was a little off but hopefully this one is better.

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**Chapter seven - On board the airship for the second time**

Chairman Netero. I had to apologize. I wonder if he'll ever forgive me.

Chairman Netero officially introduced himeself and his strange looking secretary Beans who really did look like a bean. Was he a hunter too? That would be funny. Beans told us that we'd be contacted at eight in the morning and it was only nine at night and we were allowed to do whatever we wanted.

"Guys, let's go explore the airship." Killua said and we instantly agreed. After leaving all our things with Leorio and Kurapika, we went off in a random direction. Some of the applicants were loitering around while most others went off to sleep. Who'd want to sleep when there was so much to see on this ship?

"There isn't anything interesting to see here." We looked out the window to see the Mt. Split-in-Half in a distance. The surrounding area was a plane forest. "Although," I added, "I like the idea of being so many feet high up in the air, kida floating."

"Me too," Gon said, "This is the first time I've ridden in an air ship."

"Really?" I asked. He thought for a moment. It was his second time, but on the same ship. I said, "My mom owns a bunch of airships. I used to ride with her all the time. Honestly, I had grown sick of them. But this time, it's different. I'm actually enjoying this."

"This time you have us, right?" Killua was back to his old self with that oh so familiar knowing look on his face. I had to admit, I was beginning to enjoy this play fighting with him. "Cut it out or else!" I warned in mock seriousness.

"Or else what?" He asked while Gon asked, "Cut what out?" Killua then said, "Yes Dana, what am I supposed to cut out?"

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. Killua made an attempt, "Did you know, Gon?" Gon was growing excited, "Know what?" Killua's grin grew wider, "Know that Dana - " I tackled him onto the floor. Guess I have no other choice but to play.

"What is it guys? Tell me!" Gon said. I felt bad that we were fooling him like this. Killua must have felt it too. We stood up and telepathically agreed to let it rest for the time being.

"Are either of you hungry?" I asked. They both were, so we decided to go to the dining area.

"Whoa, look at all this food!" Gon said. I wasn't specifically impressed. The place was large - it was actually, more like a restaurant and it was a self - service kind of place. I just grabbed randomly a few things and I sat with the boys around a round table. I'll admit, I ate a lot and so did Gon but Killua, it turns out, is a picky eater. He didn't eat anything in fact.

"Not hungry?" Gon asked.

"No, I just don't like this stuff."

"I bet they have more in the kitchen." Killua's eyes lit up when I said that.

Okay, so the kitchen was accessible only to the staff. I came out of the psychiatric councelling agreeing to be a good - no wait - a relatively better girl. So, naturally, I had reservations about this - reservations which disappeared as soon as I was pushed into the kitchen by the boys.

Silently, we ransacked the kitchen. There was some really good stuff there and we were pretty content till we were kicked out by the chefs who saw us. Never mind, we each managed to escape with a piece of some well cooked meat.

We continued on our explorative trip.

"Hey look!" Killua said as he ran towards the corridoor window. We joined him. Wow, it was a beautiful bird's - eye view of a really pretty city.

"It's like the ground is covered in jewels." Gon said. I nodded in consent.

We sat on a bench there and admired the view in silence, while completing our meals. Then, tired of the silence, I asked, "Killua, you're the only one who hasn't told us anything about your family."

"They're alive. Probably."

"What do they do?" Gon asked.

"Assasination."

"Both of them?" Gon asked.

"Well," I said, "So you do come from an influential family." I guess I was right about that part.

"Seriously? That's your first reaction?" He burst out laughing, "You guys really are funny. You are the first people to respond seriously to that."

"But you are telling the truth, right?" Gon asked.

"What makes you think that?"

"You wouldn't lie about something like that, right? That's what my gut says." I said.

"Really?" then Killua lapsed into what I thought was a childish fit of some sort, "That's weird. People only like me because they can never tell whether I'm serious or not. You know? I'm from a family of assasins. And my family has really high hopes for me. But I don't like that. Who'd want their entire life planned out for them? When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped! My mother had tears in her eyes as she said that I had the potential to be a top assassin. Horrible parents, right? It's natural their children will go bad. We ended up fighting. I stabbed my mother in the face, my brother in the side. I'm sure they're all after my blood right now. But if they find me, I'll send them packing. When I become a hunter, I'll start capturing my family. I'm sure they're worth some hefty bounties."

Listening to Killua's speech, I began to wonder - Am I like that? And then I realized I was. This was the exact same way I'd talk about my family. Seeing myself like this was some kind of revelation. Sharing something in common with a friend was someting nice, but I didn't want to be too much like Killua.

"What's the matter?" Gon asked and then I realized that I was sulking. I never talked about this one incident and I don't know what made me talk. "When I was a kid, I was kidnapped and held for ransom. They wanted a priceless painting my mom had. So, I waited for my mom to come. She came, but about a month later. During this time, the kidnappers made several videos of me to send to her, each one worse than the previous. They wouldn't kill me, because if they did, they'd have nothing against her. In the end, my mom did catch them and saved the painting. But... sometimes I'd watch the videos again and wonder how a parent could watch something like that and feel nothing for their child. She still has that painting."

Now both Killua and I were sulking. Gon tried to cheer us up by talking about the most random of things. The more he spoke, the more I wanted to hug him, kiss him, touch him- just do something for the comfort and I would have if Chairman Netero hadn't shown up just then.

At first, he appeared on my left. The three of us noticed and turned to look only to have him come from the other side.

"Netero - san!" I ran to him. "Do you remember me?!"

"That red hair. I'll never forget it. Arena-kun's daughter, aren't you? I don't remember your name."

"It's Dana! I just wanted to appologize for back then when you came to visit. I should never have played such a mean prank. I'm sorry. I was just trying to have some fun."

"No need to apologize." He put a hand on my head, "I don't hold grudges against children, though you've grown quite a bit. You look a lot like your mother." I frowned at that. Netero then turned his attention to the boys, "Is something wrong?"

"Netero san," Gon said, "Did you see someone come over that side?"

"No." To that Killua said, "You're pretty fast for an old man."

"Oh, that little trick? I barely moved." Again, super powers.

"What do you want?" Killua asked. He was being rather hostile, "We don't have to do anything till the next phase, right?"

"No need to be so harsh," He finally takes his hands off. It was getting a little strange. "I was just bored and looking for some companions. Tell me, what are your thoughts on the hunter exam?"

"It's been fun," said Gon, "And there were none of the pen and paper tests I dreaded so much."

"It was okay," I added, "I had ups and downs. I made friends." Now that the apology was delivered, I wanted him to leave.

Killua was hostile, "It's been disappointing. I was expecting the exam to be a lot more difficult. Will the next phase be more entertaining?"

"I wouldn't know"

"C'mon you two, let's go."

"Wait- Wait! Will you play a game with me? If you win the game, I'll let you be hunters."

Without taking the exam? It was on.

And now, a game with Netero

Netero was standing on one leg with a ball in one hand. We had to take it away from him by any means and we win. He won't even try to attack us. Now, it would be funny if he didn't use his super powers.

Killua decided to go first. He simply takes a few steps and Lo and behold! There were many copies of him, I couldn't tell which one was real. "That is so cool." I said "I can't tell which one's real!"

"I know! There's so many of him!" Gon said. We watched in absolute wonder as the many Killua - clones circled Netero. Then, Killua lunged at him, but missed. He made several attempts to get the ball from him and failed. "Go Killua!" I cheered for him.

He stopped for a moment and came in for a sweeping kick on the leg Netero was standing on. That must have been painful. And it was, not for Netero, but for Killua. He kept hopping on one foot from the pain. I cringed from the thought. A kick like that would have shattered all the bones in my leg and it had no effect on Netero whatsoever.

"My turn, my turn!" Gon raised a hand, "Tag me!" Killua tagged him. Now the fight was between Gon and Netero. He went straigt ahead for him and caught him off guard by jumping and this resulted in his head hitting on the ceiling and Killua yelling at him.

"Want to give it a try?" Killua asked.

I was a ranged fighter and sucked at hand to hand combat. In this situation, I was forced to get close to my target. There was no way I could take him down. So, the only other option was -

"Alrightie - my turn." I decided to shoot the ball out of his hand. I shot at him - once, twice thrice - I missed each time.

"How can you miss when he's so close to you?!" Killua yelled at me. "Shut up!" I yelled back, "I'm trying." I shot again at him several times with my gun and I failed each time. Frustrated, I decided to give THAT a try. With that, there was now way I'd miss and if I could take him down, all the better.

I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket and pulled out a special gun. I took out a large shell and loaded it. This gun could hold only two shells at a time, but it never missed. Netero's face didn't change. He was waiting for me to try. I shot.

The three of us stared in disbelief at the man. The recoil was enough to send me back a few steps, but Netero still stood there, the large heavy bullet at his feet. "But how?" I asked, "That was a tank armor piercing shot!" My gun hand trembled. Is this the true power of a hunter?

Netero was kind enough to let us try to attack him together, but I stood out. I was trained in martial arts, but I couldn't keep up the pace with Gon and Killua. I stood out, watching them try angain and again. They almost succeeded when they knocked the ball out of Netero's hand - but he caught it before they did. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"I quit," Killua said, "I accept defeat."

"But why?" Gon asked, "There is still time."

I let out a yawn, "Gon, it's two in the morning. I'm tired. I want to sleep."

"Me too." I could tell that Killua was getting frustrated. I'd get frustrated too, if I didn't get what I want. But I knew right from the beginning that we wouldn't win. I couldn't win a fight against Mom and Netero was much more experienced than her.

"I think I'll try again." Gon said.

Killua was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. He said, " Geez, you have no clue, do you? That old man hasn't used his right hand or left leg. We're still powerless against him. We could chase him for a year and we still wouldn't be able to get that ball from him!"

"But I still want to try."

Killua was yelling now, "What? Didn't you hear what I just said? It's useless. You won't be able to take the ball from him!"

"All the very best, Gon." I dragged Killua by his arm toward the door, "We're going to sleep. See ya in the mornin'."

"Hey! Let go off me!" Killua yanked his arm out.

"I lost too, Killua. I'm also frustrated." I said as we walked down the hallway. "I'm also covered in sweat. I think I'll wash my hair before I sleep. Just need to find the bathroom."

"I would've killed him." Killua said, "To get the ball."

"I would've too!" I said, trying to dispell the feeling of unease I was getting now, "But I promised myself I'd never kill someone unless I had to." I doubt if he heard me. No, I'm certain that he didn't. So we continued in silence.

Then two of the most annoying guys came along. I bumped into one of them. "I'm sorry." I said without looking at them.

"Hey!" One of them caught me by the shoulder. "You can't just walk away after you bumped into us."

"Why not? I didn't hurt you or anything."

"Well, you still have to make up for it. No worries, we won't hurt you either -" And they both lie on the ground dead. Not even a drop of blood. Killua stood there with an insanely wicked grin on his face. Quite easily, he calmed down after that. I followed him, but my eyes felt moist and warm. I closed them shut with my hands.

I found the girls' bathroom and went in. The water was cold and I felt good as I washed my face. As I looked into the sink, my eyes went wide. Blood. I immediately washed it off and got rid of all the evidence on my face. I thought of Killua back then. I haven't been that scared in a long time. The guy's dangerous and his moods are unpredictable.

I wiped my face with a towel and when I looked in the mirror, I jumped as I saw Killua's reflection there.

"What d'ya think yar doing?! This is the girls' bathroom!"

"Well, there aren't any girls in here now."

"I'm here now!"

"You don't count." I sighed. It wasn't like I was going to take a bath or something. I was just going to wash my hair in the sink. Once I was done, I dried it with the towel.

"You know," Killua said, "You haven't denied it." I knew what it was and my face heated up. I covered it with my towel and turned to look away. "It's like I said. I've only known him for such a short time-"

"Do you like him or not?"

"I don't know!" I yelled that part. Then I calmed down, "When I figure it out, I'll tell ya. Now, let's go get some sleep."

"Okay. But don't think you're going to get a moment's peace." He said that in that knowing tone of his.

"Sure. Tease me all you want." My sight was becoming blurred and misty. I blame Killua for this.

* * *

Aim : Hopefully no one is out of character... Writing is kind of tough.


	8. Trick Tower - Part 1

Aim - Hopefully this makes some kind of sense...

* * *

**Chapter eight - Majority rules & Minority drools**

The wake up call sounded and I woke up to total darkness. You have no idea how frustrating this is. I felt around blindly for my jacket and was it was handed to me by Kurapika. We had slept in the same room - all four of us except Gon.

"Are you alright?" Kurapika asked to which I told him I was blind again. I didn't tell him about the incident with Killua. I still considered him to be one of two best friends, despite of what I saw last night. My losing sight was not his fault, it was my own. I'm emtionally unstable - always have been.

I put on the gauze around my eyes and got ready for the landing. Then we disebarked.

"What is this place?" I asked as I walked around. I felt Gon's hands as he pulled me back by the elbow, "That was close! You almost fell over." Good God! I was getting butterflies in my stomach.

I tried to hide my unease. "Fall over? Where are we?"

Then I heard Beans talk, "Everyone, please listen, the exam's Third Phase will begin here, on top of the Trick Tower. To pass the exam, you will have to get to the bottom of the tower alive. The time limit is seventy two hours. Wish you all the best. With that, the third phase bigins now." A tower? We were on top of a tower?

"Are we supposed to climb down?" Leorio asked. Dear God, I hoped not. As it is, I'm scared of heights.

"That would be suicide." Kurapika said. I reached out and held Gon's arm, "I'm not letting go of you." He didn't mind. "Well," Killua said to me, "You've got a nice excuse now, haven't you?" I flushed. I told him to shut up.

"Maybe for a normal person." I heard a man say. "A top class rock climber like myself can handle this no problem." I asked Gon if he was really climbing down and Gon said he was and that too with ease.

Then, I heard screaming and flapping of wings and felt a strong gust of wind. I didn't need to see to guess what that was all about. "Guess we can't climb down the sides." So, that was out of the question. So, how do we get to the bottom?

Still holding onto gon's arm and fighting a horde of carnivorous butterflies, I walked around the top, till I heard a sound.

"What was that?" I asked to which Gon replied, "That man! He fell down - what is it Killua?" Killua, as far as I can tell, was crouching on the ground. "It's a trap door?"

"Is that how we get inside?" I released the comfort of Gon's arm as he went down to examine the door. "Well," I thought out loud, "A door like that should definitely lead to the bottom."

"Can't open it." Killua said, "Maybe it can only be used once." I went about tapping on my foot to see if there were any more. Hey look, a loose tile. "Look at this!" The boys came to look at it. "I wonder how many such doors we can find?" I went about tapping at the tiles and found two more such doors.

"Some of them could be traps." Killua said.

"Yeah, but we can't just stand here all day!"

"Fine then," Killua said, "We'll each pick a door and go." I asked him, "And if it's a trap?" He replied, "Well then, too bad." Gon agreed to our idea.

"Leorio! Kurapika!" Gon called out and informed them of our findings.

"I see," Kurapika said, "So we can descend by flipping the stones." Why does he talk like that?

"But I'm confused," Gon said, "There are doors there, there, there and over there too." That got everyone to think and in the end, everyone came to the same idea as us. We stood around in a circle around five doors. After saying good bye to everyone, I jumped into it. Landing on my feet, I realized we were together again.

"What is this?" I asked, "Are you guys all here?"

"Yes. It looks like a short separation." Kurapika said.

"So all the doors lead to the same room." Leorio said. Well, that much was obvious. Then, to my benefit, Gon read out the description on the wall. "The five of you must work together and follow the will of the majority to reach the destination." Then he said, " Look, there are five stop watches. There's an X and an O button."

I was handed one of the watches. I felt it. There were two buttons. "See," Gon said, "This one is O and this one is X." Okay. I put it on my wrist without thinking.

Then, out of nowhere, we hear an announcement, "Greetings. I'm Lippo. I'm the prison warden here and the examiner of the third phase." His voice was coming from a speaker in the corner of the room. I was on edge. Damn, that came out of nowhere. "Multiple paths have been prepared through this tower and you have chosen the one with the majority rule. Cooperation is the key. One person's selfish behaviour can derail the whole team. So, all the very best to all of you."

Then, the room shook. The wall gave way to a door.

Gon read out, "At the door, press O to open and X to not open." All of us pressed O and the door opened. We went walked down a hallway and reached a junction. Gon gave us the options, "Which way to go? O for right and X for left. I honestly don't know which button I pressed. In the darkness of blindness, it could have been X. Or maybe it was O. God knows! It's pure luck here. No one knew what was at the end of each path.

"What?!" Leorio asked, "Why would you choose to go right? Normally, you'd choose to go left."

"That's right. Studies have shown that people who are lost or stuck at forks tend to pick left." Kurapika said. Killua said that he'd heard it too. I picked right on a whim. I guess my instincts are strong after all.

"The numbers don't add up! What did you press?" Leorio asked. Kurapika and Killua pressed right. Maybe I pressed right too. What did Gon press? "Does it matter?" I asked more to myself than Leorio. "All that matters is that majority rules and minority drools. Let's go Gon." I held the hand of my guide. I should thank him for all this when the exam is over. No one has been this patient with me before. Is that why I'm so drawn to him?

After a while, we reached a ledge with a never ending fall. I was stopped again from falling by Gon.

"What do you see?" I asked.

"Looks like some kind of figting arena." Kurapika said. Fighting? Like hand to hand combat? God, I hate this.

"Look over there." Killua said. I can't see a damn thing.

"I'm finally free." I heard a man say. Who was that fellow? His voice was gruff and husky and he sounded really far away. Then Lippo's voice was heard again, "Allow me to explain. You are now facing some of the prisoners of the Trick Tower. The Selection Committe has hired them as examiners. You will have to fight the five of them. The fights will be one on one and one person can fight only once. You're free to use whatever methods you want. There will be no draws. The fight ends when one of the fighters admit defeat."

"You may pick your order. It will be by majority rule. Secure three wins and you may pass. The rules are simple." The man said.

"Majority rules again?" Leorio complained. I didn't see anything wrong with it. "It's fine," I heard Killua say, "I prefer straight forward rules, anyway." I agreed with him. There is nothing more simple than majority rules. Hell, that's what democracy is built on.

There was a clause; Lippo explained, "However, the actual fights will not be so simple. The prisoners here will have their sentences reduced by one year for every hour they can keep you here. So, their goal is to buy time." So that was their motivation.

"I see. We have only seventy two hours, so time is critical in these fights." Kurapika said and I realized just how worthless I was. Gon, with his telepathy said, "Don't worry." and he squeezed my hand. I felt calm and uneasy at once. Why am I such a girl? Why is this affecting me?

The man spoke, "I am first. Choose my oponent."

"He can do whatever he wants, eh?" I said, "Who should we elect to go first?"

Kurapika rose to the occasion, "There's too much at stake here not knowing what they have up their sleeves. So, in that case, I -"

"No." Killua spoke first, "Dana needs to go first. You need to go first and lose."

"May I ask," Kurapika said, "I don't completely understand this situation." No one understood. Not Leorio, Kurapika and not even Gon. But between Killua and I, there was always an understanding. He knew he upset me last night. He knows I have a problem with violence, torture and death. Without a doubt, he's my best friend.

"I agree." I said, "I'll do as you say."

"What?!" Leorio asked, "What do you mean by that?! You're going to give up without trying?"

"As it stands, I am the weakest link in this team. Not only am I a ranged figter, but also, I'm not in the best mental condition to take up a serious fight. And I'm blind. I'm not trained to fight by ear. I'm sorry for being this worthless and for dragging the team down."

"I can understand that," Kurapika said, "if you're blindness is related to mental trauma. But is this really the best decision?"

"In this situation it is." Killua said, "That bald guy is probably a former mercenary or soldier. He's probably going to start by crushing your throat so you wouldn't be able to admit defeat. Then he's going torture you without killing you for the rest of the time. This way, we can get rid of him first."

The man asked, "Have you decided?"

"I have." I stepped up, "I'll go first." A rumbling sound was heard. Kurapika placed me on the path and placed a pair of firm hands on my shoulders. "Just walk straight," he said, "It's a deep fall on either side." I nodded in consent and he released me. Cautiously, I made my way, straight ahead.

I stopped when I sensed the path had gotten wider. The man said, "So, let's decide on the mode of combat. I propose a death match. However, I won't allow you to use your gun, since I am unarmed."

"Agreed. So, let the fight commence." I stood there, determined. To lose. "Here I come." The man was getting ready to lunge at me.

"I admit defeat." I said and he paused. To make it clear, I said it again, "I lose. You win." The man let out a laugh. "A blind shooter. You're smart. But you must realize, if my team wins two more fights, we win." I didn't say anything. I turned around to walk and Gon called out, "Wait there! I'll come and get you."

Once I was back, Kurapika said, "That was a bold move. For you to swallow your pride and lose for the sake of the team - it really is admirable."

"Don't worry about us!" Gon said, "We can get three wins easy!" I put my arms around him and gave him a big hug. I must be really lucky to get two friends like this. Such rare gems, the both of them. As I released Gon, Leorio pat me on the back, "We've got your back!" Leorio and Kurapika were trying to cheer me up as well. These guys were so much different from the arrogant crowd I usually hung out with. I've gotten more love from them in this short time than I have from anyone else in my whole life.

Then, another one of the inmates stepped up. "I'm next."

"So," Leorio asked, "Who should go next?"

"Me!" Gon volunteered, "I'll go next."

"Are you sure?" Leorio said, "He doesn't look too strong but you shouldn't let your guard down. He's a criminal after all."

"I know." Gon said as he went down.

Gon? How will he do?


	9. Trick Tower - Part 2

Chapter nine - Candles, spiders, gambles and -

It was Gon's turn and from what Leorio told me, this was a thin tall fellow who looked pretty weak. Since I couldn't see aything, I had to rely on Leorio's description and the conversations that were going on.

"As you can tell, I'm not very strong. I don't really enjoy fist fights and things like running and jumping." The man said. True enough, he didn't sound like a testosterone driven muscle man like my opponent earlier on.

"But that's what I like. I'm not very good at using my head." Gon told him.

"As I thought. So, I came up with a simple game we can both play. A game that doesn't lie on physical or mental ability."

"What kind of game?"

"We both light a candle at the same time. The person whose candle goes out first will be the loser."

"Okay. That's easy to understand. Let's go with that."

"Well, in that case - choose the candle you want to use. For the long one, press O and for the short one, press X. This will be determined by majority rule." So when he said that, we ended up thinking. Two candles? So one was a trap of some sort?

"This is definitely a trap. Normally, you'd choose the long one - so he must have done something to to it." Leorio said.

"That would be the safe assumption. But this might be a trick and he might have tampered with the short one." Kurapika told us and yeah, that was true.

"If you put it like that -"

"It's endless. When presented with a clearly uneven choice, people become suspicious and hesitate before deciding. Yes, this is a real dilemma. Also, the mental anguish that arises from making the wrong decision is much grater than that arising from a fair choice." So, we were thinking in circles now? I groaned inwardly. Way to put Gon up to a test like that, the gods must be cruel.

"Go ahead, take your time. This might be a majority decision, but you're free to take your time and discuss. After all, we have lots of it." The man said. Maybe that was his intention? To frazzle us?

"So, which one should I choose?" Gon was entrusting us to make the desicion.

"Let's decide," Leorio said, "Which one should we choose?"

There was silence for a little while. Long or short? Kurapika said, "Gon! The decision is yours! Choose which you think is the best. We'll support your decision."

Killua spoke up "Are you sure about this? He never thinks anything through."

"Instead of fretting over what to do, let's allow Gon to trust his instincts." Kurapika had a point. At least this way, we wouldn't be torturing ourselves.

"I get to choose? Well then, I choose the long candle."

"You want the longer one?" The man asked to confirm our decision.

"Yes, since the longer candle will burn for a longer time."

"Eh - So he's just taking it at the face value?" Leorio asked.

Killua said "I told you he wouldn't think it through."

"Actually," I said, "I think it's fine. This is a game of luck than that of thinking. If Gon picks the trap candle, then he is simply unlucky."

"Well," Leorio said as we pressed the O buttons, "It's not like we can figure out which one is the trap."

"Okay, so you get the long one. I'll take the short one. We'll light our candles at the same time." This man was obviously up to something. He seemed calm, so does that mean that Gon already picked the trap candle?

"Normally how long will it take a candle like that to burn down?" Killua asked.

"Five to six hours." Kurapika said, giving me a clear idea of how big the candle was.

Then, I felt a breeze rustle my hair. Leorio said, "A strong wind is coming from below, which means we should watch our step. No time to relax."

The man said to Gon, "If you don't pay close attention to the candle, it will go out."

Gon replied, "That's because you're planning something. Otherwise your candle will go out first."

"I won't do anything, since I've already done what I had to."

Leorio yelled in my ears, "Look at Gon's candle! The flame suddenly became stronger!"

Kurapika confirmed, "He must have put something in the wick to make it burn faster. At this rate, the candle will last only for a few more minutes." Is Gon going to be okay? This was hard since I couldn't see anything.

"Hey! That's dirty! I knew you had tampered with the long candle." Leorio yelled even louder.

There was a nail - biting pause after which Gon said something interesting, "Hey, if the flame is stronger, a little breeze won't put it out." Then from what I figured out, he placed his candle on the ground and blew out the oponent's one. So, this means he's won.

"I win!" Gon said as he came back to us.

"Good! Now, when Kurapika and I win, we can advance!" There was a sudden surge of confidence in mental spirit with the team. Even I was beginning to feel better. A lot better, actually. Almost confident, I should say.

Kurapika volunteered, "All right, I'll go next."

He walked down the path to face his next oponent.

I heard a man say, "I'm next!" Followed by syllabilic laughter that sounded fake.

Leorio said, "That is one freaky body..." Killua added. "And face." Based on Leorio's description, the man was large with an incredible build and a scary face. Scary? He didn't sound scary.

The man spoke to Kurapika, "Take a look at this - I've killed nineteen people already. But nineteen is a number I don't like. I'm so glad I've met number twenty." Again, that annoying laugh.

Leorio wondered out loud, "So, we have a serial killer on our hands?"

"I insist that we put our lives on the line. I won't accept some half - assed competition. Bring forth the blood, entrails and pain!" Laughing again. There is no way that man is scary. It was hard to take him seriously with the exagerated way he was talking and everything. Do all serial killers boast of their accomplishments like this?

Kurapika said, "Very well. You can decide how we settle this test. I'll agree to your choice."

"Well, aren't you gutsy. In that case, I also propose a death match where we fight till one of us dies or admits defeat. Just don't expect me to stop even when you've surrendered and are begging for your life."

"Very well, I accept. Shall we begin?"

The man then said, "Wait, I forgot to mention something. No weapons allowed. We'll fight to the death with our fists. Even though I'm hired as an examiner, I'm still a prisoner. I'm not allowed to carry weapons."

At this point, Kurapika threw away his wooden swords, "If there is nothing else, I'd like to get started."

"Is Kurapika going to be alright? This guy looks dangerous." Leorio asked.

"Really? I can't see him." I said.

Gon reassured us, "No need to worry."

"Eh? Why is that?"

"When I look at him, I don't get the chills."

"What does that mean?"

"It's hard to put my finger on it," I agreed with him, "But my mom is more scary than him, even when she's smiling and in a good mood. I'm not impressed, but then again, I can't see him."

"There's nothing to see," Killua said, "This guy's a phony."

"Time to show you the ace up my sleeve. Here I come!" This was followed by a crash sound and as my fake eyes, Leorio told me, Kurapika was able to dodge him.

Leorio said, "Wow. He made a hole in the ground with his fist." Then I heard him draw a gasp.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"On his back, there's a tattoo of a spider with twelve legs. That is..."

"What?! The phantom troupe?!"

Gon asked innocently, "The Phantom Troupe?"

"Never heard of it? They're a band of notorious bandits. My mom's a hunter and she talks about them all the time. Even she's scared of going up against them."

Leorio added, "They're famous. I've heard about them first hand from Kurapika." Okay, so how did he end up with a Phantom Troupe tattoo? Mom said they were impossible to catch and that they were A - class bounty, so then how did he end up in a jail for common criminals? Then, the tattoo must be fake.

The man was taunting Kurapika, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? I'm Majitani - One of the four kings of the troupe. Consider that first strike as my way of saying hello. I'll give you one last chance to quit. I'm still willing to -" He paused in mid sentence, "H-Hey, what's wrong with you?" What followed was him getting pummelled by a red - eyed Kurapika.

"Consider this a warning - First. The real Phantom Troupe tattoo has the member's number on it. Second - Thy don't bother counting how many they've killed. Third - Never mention the Troupe again. If you do, I'll end your life." He sounded scary. I wouldn't want to cross him on a bad day.

"Amazing..." Leorio remarked.

Killua said, "Well, I saw that one coming." Gon and I did too. Leorio is dense in some ways. Kurapika came back and Leorio inquired if he was okay.

"I'm not injured." He sounded tired as he said that.

Leorio said, "No, I mean - is it safe to be with you?" It would be. He's calmed down for now and even in that state, I don't think he'd hurt us - we were his friends. I went up to him and put a hand on his back. When someone does that to me, I feel better.

"From the moment I saw him," Kurapika said, "I knew he was weak and I knew that tattoo was fake, but the moment I saw that spider, everything in my sight turned red."

"Well," said Leorio, "I can't blame you for that."

"Actually, even when I see a real spider, my personality changes and I sort of go into a frenzy." Aw, poor Kurapika. I know the way he feels. Even I - this me - loses her cool sometimes. Usually in confrontation with my mom. I've always wondered - why am I still living with her? It's amazing how much of yourself remains a mystery to you.

"You should have told us sooner..." Leorio said.

Kurapika sat down by the wall, "But this means that the rage in me is stronger than ever. I should be thankful." I sat down next to him.

Leorio enthusiastically stepped forward, "Okay! I'll secure our next victory. Toss that guy out and bring in the next competitor!"

A lady's voice was heard. She laughed as she said, "We can't do that."

"What's that?"

"We can't move him yet because his match has not been settled."

"The match hasn't been settled? What do you mean?"

I heard her walk down, "He was just knocked out. He isn't dead yet. Remember? This was a death match. The competitor loses only if he dies or surrenders. He isn't dead yet and he hasn't surrendered." Laughing, she went back.

"Damned technicalities!"

"But she's right." Killua said and we all agreed with him.

Leorio said, "Okay. Kurapika - Go finish off that piece of trash."

Kurapika, as I predicted, said, "I refuse"

"Huh? Why?!"

"The fight is over. He'd already lost the will to fight the moment I punched him. I will not fight someone who's lost."

"Screw that! They're claiming that the match isn't over yet!"

"Let them handle it."

"What?!"

"Once he wakes up, we'll have the answer."

"Hey, we only have so much time! We can't just sit around and wait."

"I have no intention of killing him."

"Hey!"

Killua spoke, "If you don't want to dirty your hands, I'll do it. You haven't killed anyone before, have you? Are you scared?" He said that as if killing someone was natural. Maybe it was for him but Kurapika doesn't seem like the person who'd kill someone without putting any thought into it.

"I have never contemplated whether killing is scary or not. But this is a one - on - one battle. You can't interfere."

"Well, in that case - But, we're still working together as a team, so you shouldn't be so selfish." Killua had a good point, but there is no way Kurapika will budge.

Leorio said, "Oh, you do say useful things sometimes. Keep it up! Don't you see that you're screwing our chances?"

"I'm sorry, but I won't change my mind."

"You fool! Alright. A majority decision. O to kill him and X to leave him alive. Why isn't it working?" I didn't press anything and I'm pretty sure neither Gon nor Killua did.

Gon said, "Maybe we are the ones asking the question. The watches only work for questions asked by the examiners."

"Then let's have a show of hands! All in favor of having him killed - now!" No one raised their hands, "You traitor! Weren't you just lecturing to him with me? We're supposed to be a team, remember, a team!"

Killua said, "It's pointless. He's not going to change his mind."

"Gon, why are you opposed to killing him?"

"Kurapika was right. He was on the verge of surrendering. Let's wait till he wakes up."

"But we don't know how long that will take. Dana, at least you're on my side, right?"

"I'm siding with Kurapika. He shouldn't have to kill someone if he doesn't want to. And besides, that isn't the issue here."

"Then what is?!"

I shrugged my shoulders before saying, "Just leave us alone."

"I'm surprised you're this insightful," Kurapika said, "I always fancied that you were more of the uncaring type."

"I'll take that as a compliment, so thanks." I knew what Kurapika meant. That wave of whatever possessed him to fight like that was now gone. In this state, he couldn't kill that man, even if he wanted to.

Leorio went off to brood in a dark corner by himself. Then all was silent as we waited for something - anything - to happen.

... ... ... ... ...

I was tired of waiting and daydreaming when Killua asked Gon if anything was wrong.

"Um, will you look at that?"

"Oh, I see." He then said lound enough for all of us to hear, "It's possible that he's already dead."

Gon informed, "Well, it's been several hours and he hasn't moved an inch."

Leorio freed himself from his corner and made his way past me, "Damn, it's too far away for us to tell. Hey! We want to examine his body."

The lady responded, "Hm.. What's that?"

"We want to check to see if he's dead."

"I told you, he isn't dead. He's only unconscious."

"But how many hours has it been? We can't just take your word for it."

"Lady - Alright. Let's make a bet then."

"A bet? On what?"

"Whether he's dead or alive."

"What will we wager?"

"Time. We'll settle our game through a gamble and we'll use time. Look at the monitor on the wall. We each start of with fifty hours each and we can bet only in multiples of ten. The first person with zero hours loses. If you lose, then your time will be shortened by fifty hours."

So, Leorio's fight was beginning. I felt Kurapika rise and I got up with him. Leorio then asked, "And if you lose?"

"Our sentences will be extended by fifty years. If that condition is acceptible, I will go check to see whether he's alive or not."

"Man, this chick is crazy. She's willing to risk extending her own sentence."

Kurapika said, "Leorio, consider the answers carefully or else we will end up losing fifty hours."

"You're the one to talk! It's because of you that we're in this mess in the first place!"

"Fine! I won't say another word."

Getting tired of them fighting, I asked, "Leorio, are you going to bet?"

"Fine! I accept."

"Okay, I'll choose our first bet. You can decide on how many hours to bet on whether he's dead or alive."

"Fine! I bet ten hours that he's alive."

"Well, then - let's check."

Kurapika remarked, "You're being pretty cautious."

Leorio walked down that path, "Weren't you the one who wasn't going to say anything?"

There was a gap of a few moments, when the lady said, "See, he's only unconscious." So, that's ten points for us.

Gon said, "Yes! So Leorio has the lead." while Killua said, "This is bad. There's the possibility that he's not going to wake up."

Kurapika asked, "What do you mean?"

"I thought he was dead when that woman came to check up on him. They'd rather prefer him alive than dead but at the same time, unconscious. If he doesn't wake up, they gain seventy two hours."

Kurapika said, "That has been their intention all along."

The lady said, "Okay, it's your turn. Decide what we'll bet on."

"Okay. Then how about we bet on whether he's really unconscious." That move from Leorio was pretty smart.

"Okay. I bet twenty hours that he really unconscious. But how do we confirm it?"

"That's simple," Gon told me that Leorio was carrying him now, "The dude is really heavy. I'll just toss him over the edge. If he's really unconscious, he'll fall to his death."

"Are you insane?! His match hasn't been settled yet. We can't accept those terms."

"No need to worry. If he's unconscious and dies, we'll forfeit the match. Is that satisfactory?"

"Yes, it is. But I'm going to change the wager. I bet forty hours that he's conscious. Everything I have left."

"Heh, showing your true colors, eh? Then I'm letting go of him."

Then that Maji-guy woke up, "Whoa, wait! I'm awake!"

Leorio greeted him, "Good morning."

Maji guy said, "You guys are crazy. I've had enough. I'll admit defeat. Forget about the sentence reduction. It's safer in prison!" I heard him leave the arena.

The lady said, "You knew he was awake."

Leorio said, "I actually aspire to become a doctor. All I had to do was check his eye movements."

"However you're down to your last twenty hours."

"Well, we have a 2-1 lead. Now, it's your turn. What do you want to bet on?"

"Alright."

Killua then said, "The old guy is definitely dancing on the inside."

Kurapika said, "I have a bad feeling of this. She has taken her cloak off."

"So up until now, he couldn't see her?" I asked, then realized, "God, don't tell me, is she pretty?"

Gon said, "Yeah, but she's not like you."

"Eeeeh?" I felt my face heat up, "You think I'm pretty?"

"Hmm.." Kurapika said,"I'm beginning to understand what's going on here."

"What?! No, it's not what you think-"

Then Killua said, "It's pretty obvious isn't it?"

Gon still didn't get it, "What's going on? Do you know, Kurapika?" But our conversation was interrupted when the lady said, "Okay, then let's bet on whether I'm a man or a woman. What? Is there a problem?"

"N-No. That's fine, but how will you prove it if I'm wrong?"

"That? I'll let you examine every part of my body till you're fully satisfied!"

"Seriously? Your body?"

That was enough to take out minds off. "We've lost," I said.

Kurapika said, "Leorio will bet she's a man."

Killua added, "Definitely."

Gon asked, "Eh? Why?"

"He's not going to pass out on the opportunity to examine a pretty girl's body." I said, "Till his heart's content - I can imagine what he's thinking right now. Men are all like this."

"Hey," Killua said, "Don't condemn us all like that. Even you'll take up the chance if you could examine a certain someone's body, right?"

I got ready to kill him, but Kurapika pulled me back, "Don't let him provoke you." Damn that Killua - putting dirty thoughts in poor me's head.

Leorio, as we all predicted, said, "Okay, I've decided. I'll bet ten hours that you're a man."

Kurapika said, "I knew it."

Killua added, "Dirly old man..."

Gon asked, "Eh? But how did you know?"

Killua said, "He's going to get the chance to look at her and touch her. Leorio's not the kind of guy to pass it up."

I added, "On the ship, I saw him read a dirty magazine. He likes this kind of stuff."

Gon said, "I see."

Leorio then asked, "Okay. Reveal the answer."

Then, the lady said, "That's too bad. I'm a woman."

"R-really?"

"Right, would you like to check?"

"But of course!"

What happened next is something no one dared explain to me. I actually felt glad that I'm blind. I felt sorry for the boys who were subject to this trauma. Kurapika said, "Just watching makes my head hurt..."

I sighed, "Leorio has lost. We're going to lose this round. Killua, we'll have to rely on you."

Gon asked, "How can you say that? We still have ten hours."

"My father gambles a lot, so I know the basics of it. Leorio has been betting in such a way to minimize the damage, but that is not how a gamble works. To gamble, you have to bet big. The best gambler bets against astronomical odds and wins - is what my father says."

The lady said, "Okay, so it's your turn to bet. What will you bet on?"

"I see what you mean," Kurapika said, "Leorio has no room for errors now. If he loses, the score will be 2-2 and we wil have fifty hours fewer to complete the third phase. There's a lot of pressure on him. Gamblers are good at deceiving their opponents. That is a skill that Leorio does not possess."

Leorio was talking to himself, "What to do now... I'll have to bet on something I'm sure I'll win... I know, let's bet on whether I'm a man or not. No way, that's not going to work..."

Killua yelled out, "Hey, old man - you're thinking out loud!"

"I know," I said, "Let's bet on whether Kurapika is a man or not."

"Of course I'm a man!" Kurapika said, "And to think I praised your insight..."

"I know!" Gon said, "Let's bet on whether or not you're still in your teens."

"Of course I'm still in my teens! Okay, then - I have an idea. Let's play rock-paper-scissors. Let's bet on who will win!"

The lady agreed.

Kurapika said, "Rock-paper-scissors? Why'd he pick such a difficult wager?"

"Okay. Then I'll put eighty hours on our victory. How's that?"

"Eighty hours?"

"Is something wrong? I'm free to bet as much as I want. And if you lose, I'll only be able to take ten hours from you."

I knew we lost it, "This is the right way to gamble. She's giving the idea that she's confident that she'll win. Now, Leorio is going to be frazzled."

Gon asked, "But isn't rock-paper-scissors an easy game?"

"It's still a game of chance," I explained, "In the worst case scenario, to win a game of rock-paper-scissors could take a few hundred tries. Or you may never win at all."

"I don't understand."

Now, Kurapika's turn, "While rock-paper-scissors has simple rules, the game itself is quite complex. If you look at it from the probablity stand point, the chance of losing is only one third. But if your oponent can predict your reasoning and control your actions, defeat comes much more easily."

"In other words," Killua said, "simple - minded Leorio is at a disadvantage."

Leorio turned around, "Okay! I have decided-" He was cut short when the lady laughed.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's obvious what your going to use. I can read minds."

"No way! You expect me to believe that?!"

Kurapika said, "Leorio is going to use rock."

Then, the lady said, "You'll believe me soon enough. Let's play - rock-paper-scissors!"

Gon said, "You were right. Good guess." The lady used rock too. So, it was a draw.

Kurapika said, "Nervous people tend to avoid using any actions that involve opening up. So, by keeping Leorio on edge, she's ensuring that he won't use paper."

"So," Killua said, "by using rock, she's creating a situation where she'll either draw or win."

"Like I said, rock-paper-scissors is a mind game."

"Wait," Leorio said, "now we just both used rock and that was a draw! So you were lying about being able to read people's minds! If you could, You would've won."

The lady laughed, "I deliberately gave you that tie."

"Quit lying!"

"Did you forget? We're supposed to keep you here. I've been stalling you. I can force a set of infinite draws to keep you here for as long as I want. But that'll be no fun, so I'll end it in the next turn. So, what will you use next? Think hard."

Kurapika explained to us, "When people worry and fret, they seek reassurance, so they'll either use the same hand or try to use a stronger one."

Killua said, "So, she's trying to get Leorio to use rock or paper."

"Then if she uses paper," I thought out loud, "she won't lose. To win, Leorio would have to use scissors."

Gon said, "So, Leorio just needs to stay a step ahead!"

Kurapika said, "Well, if he could calm down, that would work."

Gon yelled, "Leorio! You'll win if you use scissors next!"

"Scissors?"

The lady said, "Go ahead then. Scissors. Let's go! Rock-paper-scissors." There was a pause and the lady won. Leorio didn't use scissors after all. I sighed when I heard her laughing as she walked away.

Gon said, "Wow, rock - paper - scissors is a really tough game."

Kurapika said, "Worse yet, we have to give up the fifty hours he's lost..."

Leorio came back, "Sorry about that. I had confidence in my skill at rock-paper-scissors."

Kurapika announced, "It's time for the final round."

"Well, then, I'm off." Killua got ready to leave.

Leorio stopped him, "Killua wait!"

"What is it?"

"I really needed win my round."

"Gon! This guy is really pissing me off! Don't give up before we even know what the contest is. If it's something like mental math, I'm surrendering."

Leorio said, "That's right. Depending on what the contest is, we still have a chance!"

At this time, our opponent comes, making a huge entrance. I heard the sound of a wall being shattered...

"That guy-!" Leorio gasped.

"You know him?" Gon asked.

"We should give up. Killua, don't fight him." was the response.

"Why not?"

"Johness the disector" Leorio explained, "The worst mass murderer in the history of Zaban. He chose his victims randomly. 146 victims of all ages, men and women, met with death at his hads. He killed them all with his bare hands. He's famous for his iron grip."

Then that guy said, "I haven't touched human flesh in years." Even his voice was scary.

"You don't have to face this psychotic killer," Leorio said, "There is always next year."

Killua got to leave and I, feeling that it was necessary said, "Killua! Go get him! I know you can win!"

"What?! Don't cheer him on! Killua! Killua! Were you even listening to what I was saying?"

Kurapika said, "Let him go. He might have a plan."

Once Killua was face to face with the other man, he said, "How are we settling this contest?"

"Contest? I think you're mistaken. This is a one - sided massacre. I have no interest in the exam or any offers of amnesty. I just want to hear you scream."

"Okay, so then, the one who dies is the loser."

"Yeah. That is right. I'll tear your body apart."

The movement was only for a split second and it left a hole in his heart. The scene was something I saw, taking the gauze off of my eyes. I had expected my eyes to start working again. I won't be scared now. I can't be a hunter if I'm scared of Killua.

The guy, whatshisname, was lying on the floor, "What - what is this?"

Killua held what looked like the man's heart in his hands. I swallowed the bile that rose to my throat.

Killua asked, "Okay, so that is three wins and two loses. We pass, right?"

The bald guy who fought me looked pretty shook up, "Yeah, you pass."

"By the way, you must be itching for some action since you didn't get to do anything, right? Want to play with me?"

"I'll pass."

Leorio asked, "W-what was that? K-killua?"

Gon said, "Right, you guys don't know."

"Don't know what?"

"Killua comes from an elite family of assasins."

"R-Really? An elite family of assasins?"

He came back, "I'm back."

Leorio flinched as he said, "Good work..."

There was that rumble again and a path was formed to the door that opened on the right. Lippo's voice was heard again, "Across the bridge, you will find a small room where you must spend the fifty hours you gambled away."

"Okay," Killua said, "Let's go." We walked down a narrow passageway and came into a room. It was quite well furnished, with a sofa set, a tea-table, a shelf of books and a T. V. Once all five of us were inside, the door closed on its own, shutting us inside. There was a clock on the wall that showed the remaining time... Fifty hours.

Kurapika asked, "Killua? Can you tell me how that technique works?" I was curious too.

"Technique?"

"That technique you used to instantly take out his heart."

"Oh, that - It was not a techinque at all. I just ripped it out."

"Ripped it out?"

"Yeah. But to make it easier, I just modified my body a little." He showed us how he did it. His nails turned to claws, "Mass murderers are only amateurs. I used to be a professional. But my old man would have done better. When he removes a heart, you won't even see a drop of blood."

Leorio said, "How reassuring..."

Then, looking at the clock, Killua said, "We have more than two whole days."

"So..." I said, "What to do...?"

"First, we should search the room for some kind of entertainment." That sounded like a plan.

Leorio, who was watching us as we were trying to turn the T V on said, "Man, you kids don't have a care in the world."

"Why should we?" I asked, "We're just kids."

Fifty hours in a small room, huh? Won't it be fun?


	10. And the fourth round

Hey, Aim again. So sorry, this is really, really late - but I lost my internet connection for a while. Well, I'm back now and this is rather short, but hope you enjoy!

* * *

50 hours of unimaginable boredom later…

We were out of our confinement chamber. Nine more hours and Kurapika keeps telling us to hurry up. O for up, X for left, X for the second door – and guess what – we ended up back in the arena.

"We should have gone the other way." I said.

"Definitely." Killua agreed.

"What?!" Leorio yelled, "Why didn't you say something sooner?" I swear, one of these days, I will shoot him.

Like this, we kept getting lost and ending up in all sorts of places – we got to leap from stone to stone in a mine field, run up a flight of stairs as they collapsed, get chased by boulders – and all the time, Kurapika kept telling us to hurry up. In the end, I was mentally exhausted.

"Now what?" I read out the writing on the door, "Press O to open and X to not to."

"Of course, we want to open!" Leorio said as we pressed the buttons. And the door opened.

"The exit!" I regained my lost vigor and ran up to the doors. There were two of them, separated by some kind of statue of the torso of a naked lady. Two? What now?

Lippo's annoying voice rang out, "Now is the time for the final choice. Are you ready for your question?"

"Of course we are!" Damn, Leorio is loud. Involuntarily, I said, "Dude, shut up."

"What?! Why should I shut up?! You shut up!" But, by that point, I had lost all will to fight and just kept my mouth shut.

"There are two roads," continued the man, "One of them is long and treacherous and the other one is short and easy. It will take you at least forty five hours to complete the long path. The short one however, will only take you three minutes. Only three of you can choose the short one. If you choose X, the door will open as soon as two of you decide to give up and make yourself prisoners. They'll have to stay till the time is over."

Three of us? Only three of us can pass? I looked around. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing. There was a moment's pause, before Leorio said, "Well, It's better to tell you this now. I'm choosing X. I have no intention of staying here. No matter what the cost, I'll definitely be one of the three that moves on."

No way. Gon, Killua and I – I want the three of us to become hunters together. I looked at Killua. He stared solemnly at me. Is he thinking the same thing?

"I'll pick O." Gon spoke up, "We came here together. Let's leave together. Even if it's risky, my choice won't change." I stared silently, not wanting to contradict him. But all the same...

"Guys," Killua said, "That's not a risk, it's impossible! We don't even have an hour! We have no choice but the long way. I think Gon and I should be two of the people to pass. As for the third one," he looked at me, "I hope it's you."

I wanted the dark for once. I closed my eyes. If my own mother could hurt me, why should I show any consideration for some people whom I just met a few days ago? So, naturally, the choice would be to go with Killua. But then why does the mere thought of leaving Leorio and Kurapika behind hurt so much?

"Can't make up your mind?" Killua asked. "Do you want to me to choose for you?"

"No, guys" Gon said, "Let's go the long way. I want to give it a try." At this point, I didn't know what to do. If we had to fight among ourselves, there's really no question of who would win. We all knew that. So, what do I do? I want to be a hunter, but...

There was silence for a while. Why did I have to make such a tough decision? "And, there's no way the five of us can go together?" I asked.

Gon's face lit up, "I have an idea! Dana, didn't you have bullets that can pierce tank armor?"

"Yeah, why?"

Gon came up with this amazing idea. We picked to go the long way, broke through the wall and reached the short way which was actually a slide.

"My but hurts…" I complained as we came out with one minute to go. Thank God, I wasn't wearing a skirt. Looking around, I saw Hisoka. Right. Was I hoping he wouldn't make it through? Yeah, like that would happen.

I randomly gave Gon a hug, since I couldn't resist it. He certainly was amazing. The fact that he even came up with such a solution was awesome. Once the time was over, we went out and met Lippo. The dude was even more annoying in person. He was small with those huge glasses on his face. Is this fellow seriously a prison warden? Kurapika looks scarier.

Anyway, as per what Lippo said, the number of participants who reached the third round is twenty eight. After we got out of the tower, he told us we only had two more rounds next. The fourth round was on Zevil Island. He then asked us to pick lots.

"Inside the box," he said, "are numbered cards. These are the numbers you were given at the beginning of the competition. You will each pick a card. You'll pick cards in the order you arrived at the tower's bottom."

Hisoka went first. I was the third from bottom. I reached in and pulled a card out.

"Now, your personal number and the one you've picked are both recorded in this machine. The participant corresponding to the number you have picked becomes your primary target. I you succeed in getting the opponents chest plate, you get three points. Your own plate is worth three points. Everything else is worth one point. You need six points to proceed to the next round. So, you'll have to get six points during your time on Zevil Island."

I gulped before I turned my card over and peeled the cover. When my eyes fixed on the number in my hand, I lost my breath.

... Kurapika...

We were being taken on board a boat to Zevil island. There was a peppy looking lady announcing something but I didn't even notice her. I know I should be happy that I'm one step closer to my dream, but... If it were my mom in my place, Kurapika would be dead. There was no restriction for killing, was there?

I hid my chest plate inside my jacket. I seriously was not going to make it easy for the people who were hunting me. While I was loitering around, I found Gon. He also looked like he was in a lot of stress. I went and sat next to him. We were shortly joined by Killua.

"Why do you look so down?" He asked as he sat down beside me, "Who'd you pick?"

"You first!" I said to him.

"No way. You go first."

I looked at Gon, "Well, then you go first."

"It's a secret." He said. I stared ahead blankly for a moment. "Mine too."

Killua, who was watching us solemnly, broke out into a silly grin. I laughed with him. Right! No secrets between us, eh?

"No worries," he said, "Neither of you are my targets."

"You guys aren't mine either." Gon said.

That made me feel a lot better. At least now I know that my best friends aren't hunting me down. "Heh, you guys are safe from me." I smiled like a moron.

"As if you were dangerous to begin with!" Not giving me a chance to respond he said, "On the count of three, let's show our cards to each other, okay? So one, two, three-"

I held out my card. And here I was thinking I was unlucky. Gon got number forty four. "T-that's Hisoka!" I said, "Gon, what will you do?"

"I-I don't know!" His frustrated face was so cute.

"Worry more about yourself!" Killua said. Gon added, "You got Kurapika!?"

I heaved a sigh. Then, looking at Killua's card, I asked, "Number one-ninety-nine? Isn't that one of those three brothers?"

"Is it?" Killua asked, "There's no way to check. Everyone's already hidden their numbers."

"Except for you, you moron!"

"Hey!"

"Maybe I should go to Kurapika and ask for his chest plate nicely, right Gon? Won't that be funny? Gon?" His entire body was trembling.

"Are you scared or excited?" Killua asked.

"Maybe both?" Gon replied, "If this was a normal fight, I couldn't even think of winning, but if all I had to do is get his chest plate, there might be a way... Even I have a little luck."

"Way to go Gon!" I patted his shoulder, "Now, what will I do?"

"If you don't want to fight Kurapika, you can just get three other badges." Gon suggested.

"Hey, I didn't think of that! Thanks Gon!"

"We shouldn't let the others worry us," Killua said as he got up, "Try to stay alive, Gon."

We waved at him as he left and Gon said to me, "You don't worry either." I felt the familiar butterflies in my stomach when I looked at him.

"Well, I feel better." I said as I stretched and got up as well. "Good luck, Gon."

"Good luck to you too!"

Smiling to myself, I walked away as the boat neared the island. Through the corner of my eyes, I watched Kurapika. I really didn't need to fight him after all. How nice.


	11. Zevil Island has made me go crazy

So, when the boat docked at Zevil Island, we descended in the same order in which we passed the third phase. Added to that, there would be a two minute gap between each candidate... Oh joy. Hisoka could hide in the shadows and stalk us. That psycho! Why Gon? If anything happens to him, I'd -

Shaking my head, I made my way to the exam center. The terrain was grassy and I couldn't find any of the other candidates. Which probably means they were all hiding. Fine, I guess I should hide too... Slowly I made my way, fully aware of the fact that someone was following me. He wasn't one of the candidates, so he must have been from the exam board. He was wearing a suit and tie... He looked funnier than Leorio.

Okay, time to make a plan. I need six points to win. Hoping that I'm not Hisoka's target, I already had three points. I need three more. I don't have the heart to attack Kurapika for any reason. So, the only other option was to take them from the other candidates. Man, I had my work cut out for me. I must have been an idiot. If I told my mom that I have feelings for people I just met, she'd most likely laugh in my face. I felt angry when I thought about it.

Speaking of feelings... Why did I just think of Gon? Ugh! How the hell do I get these thoughts out of my head?! If I'm constantly distracted, this is going to be a really big problem. I heaved a sigh. As if I didn't have enough of my own messy problems to deal with.

Something happened that made me freeze in my tracks. What was that? It was so vague, I couldn't put my finger on it. It was just an unusual flow of the breeze or something. I reached into my holster instinctively and rested my hand on the but of my gun. I felt like I was being targeted. This was the same feeling... This was that feeling

* * *

I clung on to my mom's expensive dress. We were at a party of some sort with all of my mom's rich friends.

"Oh my god!" Exclaimed a lady, "She's adorable!" She pulled me closer and pinched my cheeks till they felt numb.

"Say thank you to the nice lady, Dana." Mom rubbed my back, but there was no love in that gesture.

"Thank you..." Back then, I was a shy little girl who hid herself in the ruffles of her mom's dresses. Mom had dressed me up in a frilly pink dress and put ribbons in my long auburn hair. She also got me matching shoes. She always decided what I ate, what I wore, what I did, who I spoke to... She never ever let me out of her sight. The only time I left home was to go someplace with her. She always made sure I was pretty and never did anything not lady like. Easily, I mistook all that for love.

The party dragged on and on like most of these parties and by the end of it, I was bored. My brother, Dani, was following us silently. He had it worse off than me. He was dressed to match what I was wearing, so you can imagine his plight. I looked back at him and giggled whenever I got the opportunity. He glared at me.

Soon, though mom got into a deep conversation with someone. She wasn't looking at me at all, so I used the opportunity to pinch my brother. He gets pissed off beyond belief and he pushed me. We fought silently till we feared mom would notice us. Then, Dani ran away from me to meet his friend. Mom's angry glare cast over me and I went to get him.

"Dani!" I called out, "Dani! Mom's angry. You better get back here, or else-" A strange breeze ran through my bangs and I paused. Shaking off the feeling, I resumed my pursuit of my moping brother.

Then, I heard a crashing noise. It came from behind me, so I turned aroun. Immediately, my knees gave in and I collapsed on to the ground. There, a window had shattered and the room filled with smoke. This was followed by screaming and shouting sounds. I coughed as the smoke filled my lungs. Soon, my eyes were singing and I started tearing up.

"Dana!" I heard mom's voice. I had difficulty identifying it, since I'd never heard her yell in such desperation before. "Come here! I'm over here!"

Out I breath, I ran to the source of the sound. There she was, waving in the smoke. I followed her and she pulled me along. "This way!" She pulled me along some unknown corridoors till I was outside. I finally tasted air again. Looking forward, I saw an airship ready to take off.

"What is this, mama?" I asked, "Are we going somewhere? Where's Dani?"

I was shoved inside without being told anything. "Mama-" I turned around and stared in shock. That wasn't my mom! It was some other lady wearing the same dress as her. Frozen, I didn't know what to do.

"Boss," the lady placed a hand on my shoulder, "We've got her."

I wanted to scream, to run, but I couldn't. I was a god damn fixture. Nothing could save me. But in the back of my mind, I entertained a feeble hope that Mama would come for me. I had to pay a huge price for my naivete...

* * *

"Dana!"

I immediately sat up. That voice -

"Killua!" I reached out in the dark for him. Damn this vision!

"Hey!" He pushed me away, "What are you trying to do?! You can do all that with Gon!"

"J-just a hug!" I stuttered as I tried to hide my tomato head. Strange it was. Did I just pass out? And that dream...

Killua started laughing, "You're really killing me! It's amazing how you changed your personality so fast."

"You do that too!" I paused, "Wait, what do you mean?"

"Just that you were so cool there for a moment." I could tell that he was trying to provoke me.

"Cool? What do you mean?-" I felt around and noticed. "My guns!"

"Oh, these?" Killua said, "You're not getting them back!" He was happy, teasing me.

"Hey!" I lunged at him when that putrid smell entered my nose. "Is that really-" Blood?

"Really what?" My companion rose to his feet.

"Killua! What have I been doing?! Why am I drenched in blood?!"

"Whaaaaat?! You mean you don't know?!"

"What happened to me?!"

"You don't remember anything?!" He must have seen the look on my face and he said, "Whoa. You just killed a whole bunch of people and you don't remember it?"

Kill?! Did I just?! I laughed nervousl, "No way, man! There's no way I would have - No I can't ever kill anyone. I'm not capable of it."

"What are you saying? I was following you the whole time. I saw the whole thing."

"No!" I clutched my throbbing head in my hands. There's no way I could have! Right? Then why do I feel so uneasy? No!

"Hey, you okay?!" He came closer.

"No! Stay away! I can't! Not like this, I -" I pushed him away. I can't do something like that. I promised myself that I would have been different!

I somehow managed to outwit the trained assasin and wrestle the gun from him.

He sounded shocked, "How did you -?!"

I pointed it at him.

"What the - are you crazy?! Are you trying to shoot me?!"

And then, the weirdest thing happened. I started laughing like a mad man. What the hell was wrong with me?!

"That's it." Killua said, "I'm taking you down!"

I fired but I don't think I hit him.

* * *

"Dana!" My brother cried as he embraced me. I just stood there, unable to move. It had been a month and now, here I was, back at home as if nothing had happened...

My mom sat down on the sofa, talking something to my dad about handling the media. My dad looked tired, but he wouldn't dare raise his voice against my mom.

Mom? She's not my mom.

She was a hunter. Their profession is a noble one. They are supposed to be helping people...

That was the day I made up my mind. I would become a hunter. I'd be even better than my mom. I swore upon the hell I went through. I won't end up like her.


End file.
